


The Pain of a Burn

by theuglytomatoplant



Series: The Power of Three [1]
Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Aged-Up Character(s), Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Bad Parent Gabriel Agreste, Dark Past, Don't worry about the major character death that's not for a while, Emotional Hurt, Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Eventual Happy Ending, Everyone Needs A Hug, Evil Gabriel Agreste | Papillon | Hawk Moth, Evil Lila Rossi, F/F, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Friendship, Good Chloé Bourgeois, Good friendship, Guardian Salt, I Wrote This Instead of Sleeping, I just can't stop piling on angst, I repeat everyone needs a hug, I repeat there's angst and fluff, Identity Reveal, Idiots in Love, Jokes, Lesbian Character, Lila Rossi's Lies Are Exposed, Male-Female Friendship, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Alternating, Parent Plagg (Miraculous Ladybug), Pining, Please Don't Hate Me, Protective Plagg (Miraculous Ladybug), Swearing, Tags May Change, but I put fluff in there too, somewhat canon compliant
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-05-24
Updated: 2020-11-19
Packaged: 2021-03-03 07:27:23
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Major Character Death
Chapters: 12
Words: 46,203
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24347230
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/theuglytomatoplant/pseuds/theuglytomatoplant
Summary: Hawkmoth is becoming a larger and larger threat to the safety of Paris. The Guardians are sending a new hero to help, considering that Ladybug and Chat Noir’s current allies are all compromised.Vanessa Jones comes to Paris, under the guise of an ordinary foreign exchange student. The Guardians told her that she had to fight alongside the holders of the two most powerful Miraculous in existence, prove to them that she was a capable hero, and be their only ally in a war that could potentially last for years.Vanessa's not sure that she's the right choice for this, but she'll do everything she can to help. Hopefully, she can enjoy her fresh start and new role without being harassed by the demons of her past.Updates whenever I can get my life together enough to post something.Formerly titled: 'A City on Fire'.
Relationships: Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Chloé Bourgeois, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Original Female Character(s), Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir & Plagg, Adrien Agreste | Chat Noir/Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug, Alya Césaire/Nino Lahiffe, Chloé Bourgeois/Original Female Character(s), Kwami(s) & Original Miraculous Holder Character(s), Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Original Female Character(s), Marinette Dupain-Cheng | Ladybug & Tikki
Series: The Power of Three [1]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1936162
Comments: 13
Kudos: 33





	1. Prologue

Marinette walked into school. She wasn’t extremely late for once. For once, she wasn’t running to school in a mad, flustered dash. In fact, she was very composed and calm.

She wore the same familiar outfit and pigtails that she always did. She didn’t bother changing her look. After all, her life had changed so much in the past few years, but she wanted some things to stay the same. She was fifteen now, and she was both a superhero and a Guardian.

Her superhero life had gotten a lot harder since the battle with Miracle Queen. Since every hero except for herself and Chat Noir was unmasked, she couldn’t call in any allies. When she needed to use another power, she or Chat would have to wear two Miraculous at once, which made battles a lot harder.

Even her costume had changed. The material on the front of her chest and abdomen was all black. Black stripes ran along the backs of her arms and the sides of her legs. Her hair ribbons were longer, starting with red at the base and turning into black at the ends. It was a definite improvement over her old costume.

Marinette’s shoes tapped across the ground as she walked. She was lost in thought, pondering a design for a party dress. She currently didn’t have a party dress design in her portfolio, and she figured that she would have to remedy that. After all, she wanted her portfolio to be really promising to her future employers.

She was shaken out of her thoughts by the sound of someone calling her name. "Hey, Marinette!" called Adrien.

"Hey, Adrien!" she gave him a wave as she continued into the school.

A few minutes later, she sat down in the classroom, getting her things out. Alya sat down beside her, her phone already out. Marinette knew what that meant. "What’ve you got to show me, Alya?"

“You got me!” Alya beamed. "But guess what, Marinette! We’re going to have a bunch of foreign exchange students from America attend our school!"

Marinette smiled, but she felt a twinge of nervousness. "Really?"

"Yeah!" Alya responded. "Every class is going to get at least one new student!"

Marinette sighed. "I hope this person is nicer than Lila."

Alya shuddered. "So do I. I'm surprised that we all fell for her lies so easily."

Both of them briefly glanced at the person sitting in the back of the classroom. Lila sat hunched in the seat, her eyes downcast. Ever since her lies had been exposed, she had not spoken a word. Most of the time, she sat silently in her seat with a blank expression on her face. The most she ever did now was occasionally glare at Marinette.

As Marinette waited for class to start, she heard the sound of her phone ringing. "I wonder who this is from," she pondered as she pulled out her phone. "Oh! It’s Luka!"

She clicked the answer button. "What’s up, Luka?"

"Can you come by the boat this afternoon?" Luka asked. "I need your help with something."

"Of course!" Marinette replied. "What do you need help with?"

Luka chuckled. "Someone put our costumes through a washing machine. They aren’t too badly damaged. They just need some mending."

"Of course!" Marinette replied. "I’ll come over after school today. I don’t think that I have anything going on today."

"Thanks!" Luka replied.

"You’re welcome!" Marinette replied as the school bell rang. "Oops, gotta go!"

Marinette hung up her phone and put it away. She was always really happy to help out Luka, considering how much he had helped her in the past.

Being in a relationship with Luka had made her realize that her feelings for Adrien were obsessive and unhealthy. She had learned to move on from them, and her friendship with Adrien grew stronger. Gone forever was the blushing, stuttering wreck, and she couldn’t be happier.

Marinette had enjoyed dating Luka, though after a few weeks of dating, they both agreed to break up. They had realized that their relationship wasn’t really romantic, but they were now great friends. Marinette was now proudly single, although she still carried a torch for Adrien (and maybe a slightly smaller torch for Chat Noir, but she would go to her grave before ever admitting that). 

Marinette was content to just be Adrien’s friend though. She knew that he and Kagami had just broken up. He needed time, and Marinette was happy to give it to him. Despite her feelings, she would rather be a good friend to him. She knew that he didn’t reciprocate them.

Ms. Bustier walked up to the front of the class. "Is everyone here?" she asked.

The students murmured amongst themselves. Ms. Bustier counted heads. "Alright, everybody’s here. Class, please take out your homework from last night."

~-~-~-

As the dismissal bell rang, Adrien packed his things in his bag. Nino had already left school with Alya, so Adrien decided to chat with Marinette before he had to leave. "How are you doing?" he asked. 

Marinette yawned. "I’m tired. I woke up waaay too early this morning. How are you?"

Adrien scratched his neck. "Same as always. Mercilessly busy."

Marinette's expression twisted into concern. "I worry about you, you know. You are so busy and work so hard. You’re going to hurt yourself one of these days."

Adrien sighed. "There’s nothing that I can do about it."

Marinette smiled. "Here, have this," she murmured as she handed him a chocolate chip cookie. "You deserve something nice every once in a while."

"Thanks!" Adrien exclaimed as he began to munch on his cookie.

He heard the sound of the car pulling up. "I gotta go," he murmured sadly. "See you tomorrow, Marinette."

"Bye, Adrien." she replied.

She waved goodbye to him as the car left the school. Adrien watched her until the car turned the corner and she was out of sight. 

The car ride was comforting in it's silence. The quiet stoicism of the Gorilla felt somehow warmer to Adrien more than eating meals with his father. Ever since the Miracle Queen incident, Adrien’s father had become more distant.

Luckily, Adrien’s friends were there for him, even Chloe. Their friendship had improved vastly ever since the aftermath of Miracle Queen. Chloe had been so consumed with guilt from her final akumatization that she actually left Paris for a few months. When she returned, she had transformed into a whole new person. She was a much kinder, more respectful, generous person. Chloe now used her sharp tongue to protect her friends instead of hurting her classmates. Adrien was proud of Chloe for how much she had grown.

The car silently shifted to a halt. Adrien thanked his bodyguard as he climbed out of the car. A small smile broke over the man’s normally expressionless face.

As soon as he was inside the house, Adrien strolled into his room and collapsed onto his bed. Plagg flew out of his pocket. "How are ya feeling, kid?" he asked.

Adrien planted his face in his pillow. "I’m fine, Plagg."

“If you say so, kid.” Plagg muttered, his tiny mouth nibbling on some cheese.

“I really am fine, Plagg!” Adrien shot back.

Plagg swallowed his slice of cheese whole. “You say that kid, but are you fine?”

Adrien frowned and sat up. He stayed silent for a minute before speaking up again. “It hurt, Plagg. I was hurt when Kagami broke up with me. But…” he closed his eyes. “Our relationship wasn’t going to work. We both knew it.”

He opened his eyes and reached out to Plagg. “But even though our relationship didn’t work out, it helped both of us.”

Plagg climbed into Adrien’s hands, silently listening with his head tilted to the side. Adrien continued. “Kagami realized that she didn’t understand her feelings as well as she thought. She realized that we were too similar to be happy together,” he murmured. “ And I realized that I was inconsiderate to Ladybug. I always pushed my feelings on her, even while we were fighting. I never respected her boundaries, and I acted terribly whenever she didn’t reciprocate. It was irresponsible of me, and I hurt her. Being with Kagami, in a relationship where both of our boundaries were clearly defined, made me realize that.”

He sighed. “I still love Ladybug, even if she doesn’t love me back. But I won’t be pushy anymore. She doesn’t need that from me. She needs me to be her partner, which I will be.”

Plagg grinned as he saw the spark in Adrien’s eyes. “You are fine, kid,” he muttered, patting Adrien’s palm. “You’ve matured a lot since you first picked up my ring.”

“Well, I’m older and wiser now.” Adrien replied in a low voice. 

Plagg rolled his eyes. “Wiser is debatable.”

Adrien scowled and flicked Plagg out of his hand. The kwami cackled as he drifted towards the floor. “Ah, kid. You’re fun to tease, ya know?” Plagg chuckled as he landed on the carpet.


	2. Firebird pt. 1

Vanessa opened the door to her new apartment and walked inside. She had just arrived in Paris that afternoon. The plane ride across the Atlantic Ocean had been rough on her stomach. Especially at the end. The plane had to delay landing for a couple hours because of an akuma attack.

Vanessa was just bone tired.

The apartment that she would be staying in was rather nice. It had two bedrooms, one bathroom, a living room, a screened balcony and a kitchen/dining room area. Vanessa appreciated that her parents had jumped through a lot of hoops to guarantee her a fully furnished apartment all to herself for the duration of her stay in Paris. After all, she didn't want to have to deal with the complications of living with other people.

Vanessa locked the door before dropping all of her bags on the floor and making her way to the master bedroom. She passed a mirror in the hallway before backtracking to glance at her reflection.

Vanessa had a small face that was occupied by large hazel eyes and a tiny nose and mouth. Her hair was black and wavy with indigo highlights dyed into it. The ends barely brushed her shoulders. Large round glasses perched at the end of her nose, making her eyes look even bigger. Her skin was pale, as if she had not seen sunlight in a while.

She had not seen sunlight in a while.

Vanessa scowled at her reflection before continuing into the master bedroom. She tugged off her glasses and tossed them to the side before collapsing into bed. She was out cold as soon as she hit the pillow.

~-~-~-

Vanessa was abruptly woken up a few hours later by screams and crashing.  _ Ugh. You have got to be kidding.  _ she thought.  _ I just got here! _

She sat up and rummaged through her backpack until her fingers closed around a box. She pulled it out, barely seeing the black color in the dim light of her room. She flipped it over, showing the red design on the top of the box. She opened the lid, revealing a pair of tiny golden hoop earrings. “Nope.” she muttered as she clapped the box shut.

Vanessa scowled and plunged her arms into her backpack once more. She emerged, holding a second box in her hands that was identical to the first. This time, when she opened the lid, her eyes landed upon a necklace. It was a simple gold chain with a tiny pendant shaped like a cluster of grey feathers.

She immediately seized the necklace, quickly putting it on. As she did so, a red-orange light shone around her. When it faded, a tiny bird with amber eyes and red and orange feathers appeared.

The bird smiled with its little beak. "Had a good flight?"

Vanessa chuckled. "Yes. Unfortunately, it looks like we’re needed, Iraa."

"Well then," Iraa replied, pointing a wing in the direction the screams were coming from. "We better get to work."

Vanessa straightened up. "Iraa, flame on!"

Iraa turned into a ball of orange light that flew into the necklace. The feathers turned red, glinting as they filled with Iraa’s power.

Her travel clothes disappeared and were replaced with an orange bodysuit. The material around her neck turned red. A red belt grew around her waist, with red feathers sprouting out of the back that reached the middle of her thighs. An orange boomerang with a strip of red wrapped around it appeared on her left hip. Red feathers sprouted along the sides of her arms from her elbow to her wrist, curling outwards to form miniature wings. Her bangs were swept into a ponytail, with the rest of her black hair hanging loose. The indigo streaks in her hair turned bright red. A red domino mask with orange flame designs around the edges grew over her eyes, which turned yellow-green. She exhaled a puff of air. "It's been a while since I've last transformed,” she murmured. “I like the costume change. Although, I should probably choose a different hero name.”

She furrowed her brow in thought as she reached into her belt and pulled out her boomerang with her left hand. Her frown disappeared as an idea came into her head. “Aha! I’ll call myself Firebird!”

With a pleased smile, Firebird opened her window and leapt out. Without wasting a moment, she threw her boomerang, hearing the familiar  _ zip _ of a wire uncoiling as it arced away.

She tightly gripped the wire that was attached to the boomerang and was soon swinging over the rooftops of Paris. She laughed as she swung, reveling in the thrill of being transformed once more.

Firebird landed on a rooftop, her hair swinging loose around her head. She grimaced as her eyes landed on the villain that was currently harassing Paris.

The villain was a tall, towering monster with silver scales and pencil thin limbs. Its eyes were scarily large and completely red. Its hands and feet were large and clawed. It screamed unintelligibly as it lurched through the streets.

Firebird eyed the monster nervously as she ran across roofs towards it. She didn’t see any of the heroes that lived in and normally protected Paris, which made her feel even more unsettled. She surveyed the area, trying to see if there were any figures hiding nearby.

When Firebird realized that only she was around, she immediately snapped into action. She swung over to some power lines and ripped them from the pole. She jumped down to the ground and wrapped the wires around the monsters ankles. It toppled to the ground with an ear shattering crash and a cloud of dust.

A moment later, the monster broke through the bindings and lunged towards her. She dodged to the side, rolling across the ground. As she prepared to throw her boomerang, a whip-like tail swept her into the side of a house. She grunted as she crash-landed on a tiled floor, mind racing over options. She couldn’t tell if her opponent was a supervillain or a sentimonster. Either way, she would need something to contain the released akuma or amok until Ladybug could get to the scene and purify it. 

Firebird scanned the room she was in. Her eyes landed on four things: a clear salad bowl, a roll of duct tape, a piece of paper, and a red pen. She tucked them all into her belt, except for the bowl, which she just held in her free hand, and ran towards the hole in the wall.

As Firebird left the house, the monster spotted her and roared. She pulled her arm back and threw her boomerang. The boomerang grazed the monster, causing silvery scale-like flakes to fall to the ground. The monster retaliated by swiping at her with its clawed hand, barely missing.  _ I have to figure out what object the evil is hiding in! _

She eyed the creature from head to toe, looking for anything out of the ordinary. Her eyes landed on a bracelet wrapped around the monster’s bony wrist. "Aha!" she exclaimed.

She threw her boomerang again, watching as it wrapped around the monster’s wrist. The wire began reeling back into the boomerang. Firebird let the wire pull her up to the monster's wrist. As she reached the bracelet, she tore it off of the monster’s arm with her enhanced strength.

A small black butterfly flew out of the twisted metal. 

Without wasting a moment, Firebird took out the salad bowl and used it to block the akuma. She dropped down, making sure that the evil butterfly remained trapped underneath the bowl. As she landed on the ground, she taped the bowl into place on a flat part of the sidewalk, making sure that there were no gaps. She took out the paper and pen and scrawled a quick message, taping it to the salad bowl.

Firebird dusted off her hands before glancing around. Wide-eyed people stared at her. She could hear them whispering. A few of them were holding phones. Firebird winced. She remembered the days when the phones only recorded her failures.

She plastered a fake smile onto her face and gave a hasty two-fingered salute to the crowd before throwing her boomerang and swinging away.

Less than ten minutes later, Vanessa lay back down in her bed. “Well, today went well. I didn’t mess up too badly.”

Iraa nuzzled her cheek. "Don’t say that, Nessa. You're a good hero. And you did well today!"

Vanessa pulled her blankets up to her chin. "I’m not a good hero, Iraa. The entire world was disappointed with me, especially Scorpion. I’m surprised that the Guardians didn’t decide to take my Miraculous."

Iraa frowned, concern clouding her expression. "Go to sleep, Nessa. You’ll need your rest for school tomorrow."

Vanessa sighed, her eyes sliding shut. She was soon asleep.

~-~-~-

Marinette was jerked awake by the sudden blaring of her alarm. "Yay… It’s another wonderful day… of school."

Tikki spoke directly into her ear. "Come on, Marinette. You don’t want to be late again!"

She groaned. "I know, Tikki."

She slowly sat up and peeled off her blankets. Tikki rolled her eyes and pinched Marinette. "Gaaahhh!" Marinette screeched. "I'm up! I'm up!"

She scrambled around her room, throwing her clothes on. She clumsily tied her hair into its usual pigtails as she scrambled downstairs. "Morning, mom!" she murmured cheerily as she reached for a croissant.

Her mother smiled. "You'd better hurry, Marinette. You've only got five minutes until school starts!"

Marinette squeaked as she grabbed her school bag and ran out the door.

In a few minutes, Marinette was sitting in her first class, having entered the room right before the bell rang. "Hello, students," began Ms. Bustier. "We have a new student joining us today. She is a foreign exchange student from New York City."

Marinette swiveled her eyes to the door as it opened. A short girl wearing a large black hooded sweatshirt with white sleeves, dark blue leggings, and black sneakers walked into the classroom. She had black hair with indigo highlights that was tied into a ponytail and large hazel eyes behind round black glasses. "H-hello," stammered the new girl. "My name's Vanessa Jones."

Marinette calmly assessed Vanessa as she watched her sit down in the back row. Vanessa quietly shuffled to her seat, not making eye contact with anyone. Alya elbowed Marinette. "Stop staring!" Alya hissed. 

Marinette sighed as she turned towards her work.

For the entire day, Marinette kept a close eye on Vanessa as students talked to her. Vanessa seemed to be alright, but Marinette was still cautious.

At the end of the day, she saw Adrien walk up to Vanessa. Marinette felt her feelings of protectiveness take over as she stealthily moved in closer to hear the conversation, hiding around the corner from them. Marinette wanted to make sure that Vanessa didn't try anything with Adrien. He had to deal with enough obsessed fangirls. Marinette began to ready her entrance in case the situation escalated to something unpleasant.

"Hey!" she heard Vanessa say in a friendly tone. "You’re in my class, right?"

"Yeah!" Adrien replied. "My name is Adrien."

"Nice ta meet ya."

“Nice to meet you too. How’s your first day here been?”

“It’s been great! People ‘round here are way friendlier than people in America. I might be able to make some friends here.”

“How long are you staying for?”

“Just for this semester. After this, I’ll be heading back home.”

“Well, I hope you enjoy your time here!”

“Thanks! Hey, I didn’t want to point this out earlier, but you look strangely familiar.”

“Really?” Adrien asked, looking slightly nervous.

“Yeah, I dunno where from though,” Vanessa pondered, a slight frown on her face. “Eh, it’s not important.”

Marinette watched Adrien silently sigh in relief. He always hated being recognized by fans. He jumped as his phone buzzed in his pocket. “Oh,” he murmured sadly. “Sorry Vanessa, I have to go. My bodyguard’s here to pick me up. I’ll see you tomorrow.”

“Uh, bye.” Vanessa murmured as Adrien walked away.

As Adrien vanished, Vanessa’s face relaxed. “Good job, Nessa!” she whispered to herself. “You managed to talk to a human without scaring them off! Mom would be so proud!”

Marinette found herself relaxing too. Vanessa didn’t seem to have any ill intentions. She seemed to be a semi-normal person who wanted to make friends. 

Marinette decided to introduce herself. She walked around the corner, quietly walking up to Vanessa.

“Hey!” Marinette exclaimed. “Your name is Vanessa, right?”

Vanessa jumped, her arms flailing about. “Y-yeah!” she coughed and cleared her throat. “Sorry ‘bout that. You surprised me.”

“Sorry! I didn’t mean to scare you!” Marinette replied. “I was just getting ready to leave when I saw you. I figured I should introduce myself.”

“Uhh, you’re, um, Marinette, right?” Vanessa asked, smoothing down her rumpled clothing.

“That’s me!” Marinette announced as she pointed at herself.

Vanessa sighed in relief. “Phew! I would be so mad at myself if I called you by the wrong name.”

“It’s no big deal!” Marinette smiled. “It’s only your first day! No one would be mad if you made a mistake.”

“Huh, that’s a first,” Vanessa quietly muttered. “Where I’m from, people will bite your face off if you call them by the wrong name.”

“That sounds terrible.” Marinette admitted.

Vanessa shrugged. “That’s America for ya,” she sighed. “Biting people’s faces off.”

Marinette patted her shoulder comfortingly. “Don’t worry, Vanessa. People around here won’t bite your face off. If anything, they’ll probably find it really funny!”

“What a relief.” Vanessa replied, a small smile stretching over her face.

Marinette smiled. “It was nice talking to you, but I have to head home now. I’ll see you tomorrow!”

“Yeah, I’ll see you tomorrow!” Vanessa replied. “Bye!”

As soon as Marinette was out of the school, Tikki spoke up. “She seemed nice.”

“I know!” Marinette happily replied. “Thank goodness! I don’t think I could stand another Lila.”

Tikki sighed, a small smile on her face. “Oh, Marinette. I don't think anyone else could be like Lila.”

Marinette simply smiled and ran the rest of the way to the bakery.

As she pushed open the door, her parents greeted her excitedly. "Marinette! You’ve got to see the news!" her father exclaimed, grabbing her arm and dragging her upstairs.

She found herself sitting on the couch in front of the t.v. as her parents turned up the volume. "Last night, Paris was under attack from yet another supervillain." the reporter spoke.

Marinette’s eyes bulged.  _ What? Another one last night? Oh No! I slept through the attack! _

The reporter continued. "Ladybug and Chat Noir were nowhere to be seen, but the villain was stopped by a new hero."

She nearly fell off of the couch. Her mind screamed in confusion.  _ WHAT? A new hero? Who? _

"These pictures were taken of this mysterious hero."

Pictures and videos flashed across the screen of a person in a red and orange costume. She couldn’t see much else besides that. The lighting in all of the videos and photos was really bad.

The reporter continued. "This new hero left this on the sidewalk after defeating the villain."

One last picture was displayed on the screen. It was a picture of an upside down salad bowl taped to the sidewalk. An akuma was trapped inside and a piece of paper with words written in bright red ink on it. Marinette gasped as she read the message.

" _ Hello, Ladybug and Chat Noir _

_ I have been sent here to assist you in the battle against Hawkmoth. I hope that this message reaches you as proof of my competence. Don’t despair, for you no longer fight alone! _

_ Signed , Firebird" _

Marinette read the message over and over until the screen changed. "This changes everything…" she whispered under her breath.

She stood up quickly. "I just remembered that… I left something at school and I have to go get it. I’ll be right back."

Before her parents could say a word, she ran out and wedged herself behind a dumpster. "Tikki…" she whispered. "We better take care of that akuma. We’ll transform, deevilize it, repair the damage, then return."

"Okay!" replied Tikki.

"Tikki, spots on!"

A moment later, Ladybug was bounding across the roofs of Paris, looking for signs of damage. She soon found the trail. It led her to a street that was mostly ruined. Buildings were crumbling around giant holes that had been punched in them. The road was filled with cracked rubble. Her eyes soon landed on a pristine section of sidewalk where a bowl lay. She walked towards it and saw the same bowl that had been on the news. She gingerly plucked the paper off first, rereading the message once more.

She placed the paper on the sidewalk and turned her attention to the trapped akuma. It bumped against the sides of the glass as it fluttered around the inside of the bowl. Ladybug peeled the tape off of the bowl and tipped it off the sidewalk.

The black butterfly quickly flapped away, fluttering towards the sky. She captured it in a swift swipe. She released it, and watched the white butterfly fly away. "Bye-bye, little butterfly!" she murmured. "Miraculous Ladybug!"

She threw her yo-yo into the air and watched as the damage around her was repaired by the magic ladybugs.

"Well then, looks like my job here is done."

Ladybug slipped out of sight before dismissing her transformation. “Tikki, I have some questions for you.” Marinette murmured.

“Go ahead, Marinette!” Tikki replied.

“Firebird obviously has a Miraculous,” Marinette muttered as she took out her phone. “Maybe you’ll be able to recognize it?”

Marinette opened up the report and clicked on the part where the pictures were shown. Tikki frowned. “Zoom into her neck, Marinette.” Tikki whispered, her voice unusually quiet.

Marinette obliged. As she zoomed in, she saw that Firebird was wearing a necklace. All she could see was that the pendant was red.

She glanced over at Tikki. The kwami was silent, her eyes wide and antenna quivering. Tikki gasped. “Iraa…”


	3. Firebird pt 2

Adrien sat in the car as he was driven home. He was almost excited for another akuma, just so he could see Ladybug again. Seeing her always made his day a little better, even if they had to fight an akuma.

He collapsed into the chair in front of his computer, ready to distract himself by browsing social media. Plagg floated out of his pocket with a yawn.

A news report suddenly caught Adrien's eye and he immediately clicked on it. "Last night, Paris was under attack from yet another supervillain," the reporter spoke. "Ladybug and Chat Noir were nowhere to be seen, but the villain was stopped by a new hero."

He nearly fell out of his chair. "Plagg, what's going on?"

"These pictures were taken of this mysterious hero."

The screen showed pictures and videos of a person wearing a red and orange costume. Adrien paused the report and squinted at the screen. "Oh, I know who that is," Plagg murmured excitedly as he hovered in front of the screen.

Adrien snatched his kwami out of the air. "Who is it?"

Plagg grinned. "That person is the newest holder of the Phoenix Miraculous."

"The Phoenix Miraculous?" Adrien exclaimed.

"I'd bet my cheese on it," replied Plagg.

"What do you know about the Phoenix Miraculous?" Adrien questioned.

Plagg jumped up into the air. “Oh-hoho, kid! What DON’T I know about the Phoenix Miraculous?"

"Really, Plagg?” Adrien asked, his eyes shining. “Tell me all about it!”

Plagg grinned toothily. “Well, the Phoenix kwami is named Iraa,” he began. “And she is my daughter.”

“What?” Adrien exclaimed. "What do you mean, she's your daughter?"

“It’s a long story,” Plagg yawned. “Basically, Iraa is the result of some very rash decisions that Tikki and I both made when creating the universe. She was the third kwami to come into existence, and is one of the most powerful. The Phoenix is weaker than only the Ladybug and Black Cat.”

“So, what does the Phoenix Miraculous do?” Adrien asked.

“Iraa is the kwami of duality,” Plagg yawned. “Sometimes she takes after Tikki, sometimes she takes after me.”

“So, if your power is destruction, and Tikki’s is creation, then Iraa is both?”

“Yes,” Plagg responded. “However, in both aspects she is far weaker than Tikki or I. Her ability to use both creation and destruction is what makes her powerful.”

“So, if Iraa is your, um, daughter, then how come she isn’t in the same Miracle Box as our Miraculous?” Adrien questioned, tilting his head.

Plagg sighed, his green eyes shining. “The Guardians separated Iraa from us for ‘safekeeping’. They didn’t want the most powerful Miraculous to be all in one Miracle Box. The Guardians were most likely planning to split Tikki and I as well, but the risk of the balance breaking was too high.”

“Huh.” Adrien pondered as he sat back in his chair. “The Guardians must be really paranoid.”

“They are,” Plagg replied, eating a chunk of camembert. “It gets on my nerves sometimes.”

Adrien turned his computer off. “Why didn’t you tell me you had a daughter?”

Plagg froze, his camembert halfway to his mouth. He lowered it, a sad expression on his face. “I don’t like to talk about it,” he whispered quietly. “Even if Iraa was an accident, I still care about her. When she was taken away…”

Adrien gently scooped up the kwami. “It’s okay, Plagg,” he murmured warmly. “If the Phoenix Miraculous is really in Paris, then maybe you can see Iraa soon.”

“Yeah.” Plagg muttered, swallowing the remaining cheese in one gulp.

Adrien smiled as he gently stroked Plagg. It was moments like these that reminded him that Plagg was a creature capable of feeling things other than greed or hunger.

~-~-~-

Chat Noir bounded across the rooftops, pursuing Hawkmoths newest victim. The batlike villain flew ahead of him, barely noticeable in the night sky. He vaulted over a chimney. He was beginning to get frustrated. "Where’s that Firebird when you need them?" he grumbled.

He glanced around him again, but only Ladybug and the villain were in sight. "Well… at least I get to spend some time with my lady." he whispered to himself.

He used that thought to calm himself down as he continued to fruitlessly chase down the winged villain. After a few minutes, he was starting to get tired. It was not easy leaping and bounding across roofs and over streets. He jumped towards the next roof… and missed.

"AAAAAAAHHHH!" he yowled as he plummeted towards the ground. 

Before he landed, someone caught him.

"Easy now," a quiet voice spoke. "Or else, you might fall and then no one will trust the saying that all cats land on their feet."

He craned his neck to get a look at his rescuer. "Who are you?" he asked.

He was answered with a low chuckle. "Hmmm, I don't know, who could I be? Who else would be out chasing villains at this time of night?"

"You’re Firebird?" he asked.

"Uh... yeah," she replied in a wobbly voice.

Chat Noir was gently set down on the roof. He looked up at the Firebird who had been all over the news since last night. Her suit was orange, with red feathers along her arms and around her waist. "Huh… you weren’t kidding when you called yourself Firebird."

For some reason, a look of sadness crossed Firebird’s face. "Yeah…” she mumbled before plastering a grin on her face. “At first I called myself Blue Jay, but that didn’t work out."

Chat Noir chuckled. "I wonder why."

Firebird smirked. "I’ll tell you later. Right now, we have some work to do."

He quickly stood up. "Right!"

He resumed bounding over the roofs, but faster. He needed to catch up to Ladybug and the villain. He and Firebird kept pace with each other as they chased the villain down.

He pulled his staff out and began using it to vault higher. "Whew," he grumbled. "What a nightmare. I hate flying villains."

"Well, let's fix that." Firebird muttered.

She pulled her arm back and threw her boomerang, which snared the villain. She stopped running and pulled on the wire, yanking the giant bat out of the sky. Firebird leaped forwards, pouncing on the villain and pinning them to a nearby roof. Ladybug and Chat Noir both landed next to Firebird, who was holding the villain’s wings tightly in her grip.

Ladybug glanced down at Firebird. "You're Firebird, I assume."

"Yeah." replied the orange heroine. "As my message states, I was sent here to assist you."

Chat Noir tilted his head to the side. He didn’t remember seeing a message. Ladybug simply nodded. "Well, the more help the better. Who sent you here?"

Firebird glanced down at the villain. "More on that later. I'm a little occupied at the moment."

"O-of course!" Ladybug kneeled down. "Where's the akuma hiding?"

Firebird blinked incredulously. "I don't know. I just got here."

Chat Noir smirked. "Well, let's take a look at this bad bat."

After a few moments, Ladybug reached down and removed a small flower earring from the bat's massive pointed ear. She smiled as she crushed it between her hands.

The evil black butterfly flew up out of the cracked earring and was quickly snatched up by the magic yo-yo. "Time to de-evilize!"

A small white butterfly flew away.

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

A few seconds later, the damage was all repaired and the unfortunate bat fanatic who had been akumatized was heading back to their home.

Ladybug walked over to Firebird, who was standing in the middle of the road, head tilted upwards. "So…" Ladybug began. "You haven't told us why you're here."

Firebird flinched. "I was sent here by the organization of Guardians to assist in the fight against Hawkmoth. He's becoming more dangerous all the time. The Guardians are becoming concerned."

Firebird paused. "But, uh, don't worry. They know you're up to the task. I'm just here to give a helping hand."

She stretched. "Anyways, I've got to be heading back, Ladybug, Chat Noir. Fighting villains two nights in a row really takes a toll on a person."

As she turned to leave, she suddenly snapped her fingers. “Oh, I nearly forgot!” Firebird exclaimed. “I had a present for you!”

Ladybug blinked as two Miraculous boxes were shoved into her hands. “There ya go!” Firebird beamed. “Goodnight!”

She threw her boomerang and swung away.

Ladybug immediately turned her attention to the two boxes in her hands. She glanced up at Chat Noir, her mouth slightly hanging open. “Well, open them!” he murmured.

Ladybug obliged, watching as a golden light and a forest green light appeared in midair. When the light faded, two kwamis hovered above the open boxes.

The first resembled a tiny grizzly bear, with piercing green eyes. He gave Ladybug a quick bow and a toothy grin. “Hello, crimson one. My name is Claww.”

The second kwami resembled a scorpion, including a tiny stinger. She even had tiny pincers on her arms. Her exoskeleton was gold in color, and her eyes were yellow. “Greetings, holder of creation. I am Scuttle.”

Ladybug tilted her head. “Where did you come from? Why would Firebird give me these Miraculous?”

Scuttle snapped her pincers. "Bonf- I mean, Firebird, isn't a Guardian. She was instructed to relinquish our Miraculous to you."

Ladybug put her hand to her chin, deep in thought. “How did she come into possession of three Miraculous?”

Scuttle traded glances with Claww. “It’s a long story.” she muttered.

Claww silently nodded.

“Well, if it’s a long story,” Chat Noir murmured. “Can you start at the beginning?”

Scuttle shook her head. "We prefer not to discuss it at this time. We will tell you later."

Ladybug nodded. "That's okay. You can tell me whenever you're comfortable."

"Thank you, Guardian." both kwamis replied before disappearing.

Ladybug closed the lids of both boxes before placing them in her yo-yo. "I'll introduce them to the other kwamis," Ladybug murmured. "It might make them more comfortable and cooperative."

Chat Noir nodded silently. She held her fist up to him. He grinned as he knocked his own fist against hers. “Pound it!” they both exclaimed.

Ladybug smiled. "Good night, kitty. See you tomorrow." she murmured before swinging away.

As she landed on her balcony, Ladybug dismissed her transformation. Marinette dropped into her room, heading for the Miracle Box. She opened it up, making sure that all the kwamis could hear her. “Hey, guys!” she called. “I have some new kwamis for you to meet!”

Suddenly, all of the kwamis flew out, excitedly clamoring for her attention. Marinette giggled as they swarmed her. “Get off of me!” she laughed. “Or else I won’t be able to introduce them to you!”

The kwamis obediently moved away from her. Marinette picked up the two boxes and flipped them open. Scuttle and Claww appeared once more. Instantly, they were swarmed by all the other kwamis. While the kwamis were busy, Marinette looked to see what the Miraculous were. In one box, there was a pair of golden hoop earrings. The other box held a bracelet fashioned out of copper, with black studs running around the outside.

After a few minutes, Scuttle and Claww got enough breathing room so that Marinette could ask them a few questions. She was still curious about Firebird, but she would ask them later. In the meantime, she could learn about the foods they liked and their powers.

“So, what are your powers?” Marinette asked, resting her arm on her desk.

Claww tapped his chest with one of his paws. “My power is the power of retribution. When my ability is activated, any injury inflicted on my wielder is mirrored on whoever caused it. It’s activated by saying ‘Bear’s Claws’.”

Marinette frowned thoughtfully. “Interesting.” she murmured. “What about you, Scuttle?”

Scuttle’s tail flicked. “I am the kwami of radiance. When my power is activated, my holder shines with a bright light. All that they have to say is ‘Desert Sun’.”

“Wow, you guys are both so cool!” Marinette exclaimed.

Scuttle and Claww smiled in response before they were enveloped by the rest of the kwamis.

~-~-~-

As Firebird swung above Paris, heading back to her place. She soon spotted her apartment building, quickly dropping into a nearby alleyway. "Flame out." she whispered.

Once she was back to her civilian self, she pulled her hood up over her head and ran inside the apartment complex. She quietly stepped up the stairs until she was on the right floor. She quickly walked down the hallway, keys clinking in her hands.

A few minutes later, Vanessa was leaning against the wall of her bedroom, watching her kwami zip around through the air. "Well, that went well as far as introductions went. They didn’t seem to hate me," Vanessa sighed. “I might actually be able to have a fresh start.”

Iraa smiled. “I think so,” she replied. “It would be quite difficult for them to find out about-”

The kwami stopped when she saw the look on Vanessa’s face. “I’m sorry, Nessa. I know that you don’t like to talk about it.”

Vanessa buried her hands in her hands. “It’s a fresh start,” she whispered. “The past is gone and buried. It’s a new beginning.”

After a few moments, Vanessa sucked in a deep breath before getting off of the wall. She yawned, stretching her arms. “It’s getting late,” she whispered. “I better get some sleep.”

“Goodnight, Nessa.” Iraa murmurmed.

“Goodnight, Iraa.” Vanessa replied as she climbed into bed. “See ya in the morning.”

As Vanessa closed her eyes, Iraa looked fondly down on the sleeping girl. Vanessa was one of her better holders, even considering all of the mistakes she made. Iraa was proud of Vanessa. She had not given up, even when things were at their worst.

Iraa curled up on the back of Vanessa’s neck, closing her eyes. She hoped, for Vanessa’s sake, that this really was a fresh start.

_ Kwami knows, Vanessa deserves it. _

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Get ready, people! We have a long ride ahead of us!
> 
> Thank you for your comments, by the way. They're what keep me going!


	4. Painter

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that the chapter's late. Life happened.

After school, Vanessa was expecting to walk to her apartment, do her homework, and wait for the inevitable akuma attack. She was not expecting the other girls in her class to pounce on her in an excited blur of colors and voices. She was not expecting to be dragged to a park, where she was introduced to everyone who had orchestrated the… kidnapping? hangout?

Soon after the introductions, the girls broke into small groups to talk amongst themselves. Vanessa found herself sitting between Marinette and… someone. Vanessa had forgotten her name.

"What just happened?" Vanessa whispered.

Marinette smiled. "All the girls in our class were excited to meet you. I didn't know that they were planning on kidnapping you though."

Vanessa chuckled. "It's… alright, I guess. I've never had people who were excited to meet me before."

Marinette tilted her head to the side and said nothing. The girl sitting on Vanessa's other side spoke up. "We'll introduce you to the boys tomorrow. We didn't want to overwhelm you too much."

Vanessa grinned. "Thanks for your consideration, uh…"

"Alya. My name's Alya."

"Thanks, Alya," Vanessa murmured. "And I already met one of the boys. His name was… um… Andrew! No, Andre. Wait…"

Alya frowned. "Do you mean Adrien?"

"Yeah, that!" Vanessa replied. "I met 'im yesterday! He seemed nice, though oddly familiar. Can't remember where from, though."

Alya and Marinette traded glances. Marinette spoke up first. "Well he's-"

Alya elbowed Marinette behind Vanessa. A smirk appeared on her face. "Turn around, Vanessa."

"Okay?" Vanessa asked, shrugging and turning around. "Now what?"

Alya pointed to a nearby advertisement, which showed both Adrien's face and his name. Vanessa tilted her head. "That's cool! He looks just like the guy in the ad! And he… has the… same name too…"

Alya burst into laughter as Vanessa buried her face in her hands. "Aaaaah!" Vanessa yelled, her voice muffled by her hands. "How did I not notice this before?"

Vanessa slumped to the ground, her face planted in the dirt. "I'm so stupid…" she mumbled.

"Are you okay?" Marinette asked.

"Probably." Vanessa replied.

~-~-~-

Ezra walked through the streets, feeling uncomfortable. Paris was so orderly and clean. It was almost… suffocating. He wished that the mayor would allow artists to decorate some buildings just to add some color. Everywhere he looked, each building was exactly the same. 

He walked home, wishing that it was legal to add just a splash of color on all the houses. Just some blue or umber tones would make his eyes feel better.

He tightly held onto his paint set as he opened his front door and walked inside his house. At least he had one place to explore colors in peace.

"Ezra!" his mother screamed as he walked into his house. "You’ve made a mess in your room again!"

"Mom!" he exclaimed. "It’s not a mess! It’s art! I’m experimenting with colors!"

His mother walked out of the living room, holding a roll of paper towels and a bottle of cleaning solution. "You know that we’re only renting this place, Ezra. Can you at least clean your ‘art’ off of the walls and floors?"

Ezra grumbled. "No one understands my art. No one wants there to be color in this world."

He fumed as he stormed off to his room. As he opened the door to his room, he didn’t notice a tiny black butterfly fly towards his paint set.

Ezra sat down on his bed, dropping the cleaning supplies that he had been given. He turned his eyes towards the ceiling, gazing at the paint that he had mixed up there. A moment later, a voice began to whisper to him. "How sad, no one appreciates your unique style. Don’t worry, I, Hawkmoth, think that your art is beautiful. Painter, I’m giving you the power to spread your art to the entire world! All I require in return are the Miraculous of Ladybug and Chat Noir."

Ezra grinned. "No one will ever talk bad about my art again."

Black grew over his entire body. Splotches of color decorated him. His paintbrush extended into a staff. He twirled it around, sending paint splattering all over his room. "Heh heh heh," he laughed. "Now, I can color Paris all I want, and I won’t be held back by some silly laws."

Painter walked out of the room, nearly colliding into his mother. "Ezra, what happened to you?"

He laughed. "Ezra has been painted over at this time. However, he wanted me to leave a message for you."

He twirled his paintbrush, causing green, purple, and orange paint to coat the entire hallway, including his mother. He smirked and walked out of the house. "Ugh, these buildings are all eyesores. They need some color."

Paint splattered against buildings and people with such force that walls cracked and people fell over. Screams echoed as people scattered away from the new villain. "Perfect." crowed Painter. "Soon, all of Paris will be colorful and unique."

At that moment, Hawkmoth returned. "Painter, continue to sow chaos," he ordered. "When the heroes show up, you must take their miraculous, or I will take your powers."

Painter grinned. "Don't worry, I’ll bring you what you want."

After a few minutes of painting uninterrupted, Painter realized that he needed to have an emergency weapon in case the heroes gained the upper hand. He summoned an orb of paint, and began to feed it until it became a bright mass of swirling colors. He moved it up into the sky until it was almost out of sight. "Perfect. If these heroes take me down, they’ll be taken down by a flood of paint."

~-~-~-

Ladybug and Chat Noir ran towards the place where Painter was last spotted. They soon stumbled upon a street that was splashed with bright puddles of orange and yellow paint. They glanced at each other for a moment. "Well," Chat Noir commented. "I don’t think we’re in danger of losing Painter."

Ladybug sighed. "That much is true. Let’s follow the trail."

Chat Noir paused. "Shouldn’t we wait for Firebird? She is part of our team now."

“Really?”

Ladybug and Chat Noir jumped as they heard Firebird’s voice. She ran up to them, her eyes shining. “You really think that I’m a part of the team?” she asked.

“Of course!” Chat Noir replied.

Tears ran down Firebird’s cheeks. “That is the best thing that anyone’s ever said to me!” she whispered. “Thank you!”

Ladybug stared at Firebird as she began sobbing. “Are you okay?” Ladybug asked, resting her hand on Firebird’s shoulder.

Firebird wiped her face. “Yeah, I’m f-fine!” she replied. “Let’s go stop the villain!”

Paint suddenly flew through the air, splashing all over the three heroes. They winced from the sheer force of the paint hitting them as they were knocked off of their feet.

“Greetings, pathetic heroes!” the villain crowed. “I am Painter, and you are going to hand over your Miraculous!”

“...Painter?” The heroes muttered as they traded incredulous glances.

“So, the guy who makes villains like… Painter is a threat to Paris?” Firebird asked, green paint running down her body as she stood up. “I am… disappointed.”

“Wait until Hawkmoth makes you fight Mr. Pigeon for the fifty-sixth time.” Chat Noir grumbled in response.

Ladybug stood up, her legs wobbling slightly. Paint flew from her body as she threw her yo-yo. It wrapped around the Painter, tying his arms to his sides. She pulled him towards them, but he exploded, liquid colors splashing around. "That’s a fake!” Ladybug exclaimed. “He made a clone out of paint!"

“Uh oh,” Firebird muttered as she helped Chat Noir to his feet. “This is bad.”

Ladybug sighed. "This is going to be a long battle."

A peal of laughter sounded behind them. "Ha ha ha! Look at yourselves now, you fools!"

The three heroes turned around to see Painter. He was hovering in midair with paint swirling around him. He twirled his paintbrush through the air. "Now, unless you fools want your entire bodies to be painted, hand over your Miraculous!"

“So, if we don’t hand over our Miraculous, you will… paint us? Oh, I’m  _ so  _ scared.” Firebird replied.

Painter growled and raised his paintbrush over his head. Clones of Painter formed in midair, surrounding the heroes. They moved around through the air, switching positions. Instantly, the heroes went into action, using their weapons to dissolve the clones.

Ladybug slashed through clones with the string of her yo-yo. Chat Noir hit them with his staff. Firebird took out clones as she threw her boomerang. However, more clones formed for every one destroyed.

"This isn't working!" Ladybug yelled. “So, let’s try something else! Lucky Charm!”

A water jug tumbled into Ladybug’s hands. “Okay…” she murmured. “What do I do with this?”

“Nothing!” Painter cackled as he knocked the water jug out of Ladybug’s hands.

The water jug tumbled into the street. Ladybug jumped down after it. Before she could reach it, one of Painter’s clones seized her arms. She struggled to get free, but the clone began to turn back into paint and envelop her. “Cataclysm!”

The clone disappeared into dust. “Thanks, kitty!” she murmured, picking the water jug up.

“No problem, m’lady.” Chat Noir replied.

Firebird ran past the pair, dodging paintballs thrown by Painter and his clones. “Do you have a plan?” she asked.

Ladybug furrowed her brow in thought. The paint that Painter was using seemed to be acrylic, based on the smell. She noticed that he was using his paint to fly through the air, as well as make his clones.

“Firebird!” she called. “Can you lead Painter over here?”

“Just a moment!” Firebird called.

She turned around, running back towards Ladybug and Chat Noir. She grew closer and closer, Painter and his clones right on her tail. She ran past them again, huffing for breath.

As Firebird’s pursuers moved past Ladybug, she tossed the contents of the water jug all over them.

The clones disintegrated as the water splashed all over them. Painter fell to the ground as the paint keeping him aloft was washed away by the water. He scrambled to his feet, swinging his paintbrush wildly around him. Small droplets of paint came out of it, but not much else. “Why isn’t this working?” he cried.

“Oh, that’s brilliant!” Firebird murmured. “Acrylic paint is washable!”

Painter charged at Firebird, holding his paintbrush over his head. She scoffed and knocked it out of Painter’s hands. It fell towards the ground. 

Chat Noir scooped it up and broke it over his knee. Immediately after, the evil butterfly fluttered into the waiting yo-yo of Ladybug.

Suddenly, the sky grew dark. Heads turned up to see a dark blot spreading across the sky, like sunny weather turning stormy. "What’s going on?" murmured Ladybug.

The dark mass grew larger and larger until they realized that it wasn’t storm clouds. It was a large volume of paint that was falling from the sky. "M'lady," Chat Noir spoke. "You might want to fix that."

"Miraculous Ladybug!"

A second later, the incoming rain of paint was gone, as well as the paint that covered the buildings, people, and heroes. "Pound it!" Ladybug, Chat Noir, and Firebird exclaimed as they bumped fists.

“What happened?” a soft voice asked. “Where am I?”

The heroes turned to see a young man sitting on the ground, cradling a paint set to his chest. Firebird helped him to his feet. “You were akumatized,” she murmured. “What happened, bud?”

The young man put his hand on his head. “I feel like nobody appreciates my art. The mayor rejected my proposal to paint murals on buildings, my mom was yelling at me to clean up my paints…”

Firebird smiled. “Being an artist isn’t easy, bud. You’re not the only artist to struggle with feeling unappreciated.”

The young man stared at his feet. “I just wish that there was somebody who liked my art. I love colors, but everyone I’ve come across says that my paintings are garish and horrible.”

“You’re just not around the right people,” Firebird replied. “There are many art groups online, I’m sure that they would be happy with your art. They might even give you some pointers on using colors without going overboard.”

He brightened up. “Thanks, Firebird! I’ll do that!”

As the young man left, Firebird turned back to Ladybug. “Firebird, you’re a natural!” Ladybug murmured.

Firebird smiled. “Um, thanks! I just, uh, understand the struggles of an artist,” she stammered. “Anyways, I better be heading home now. G’night!”

Ladybug yawned as Firebird leaped away. It was only midafternoon, and she was already exhausted. Fighting villains day after day was tiring.

“Ladybug?”

She shook herself out of her thoughts as she turned to face Chat Noir. “Are you alright?” he asked. “You look exhausted.”

Ladybug weakly smiled. "We work so hard every day to save Paris, but we’ve not had much progress in taking down Hawkmoth." 

She buried her face in his shoulder. "I  _ am  _ exhausted."

Chat Noir gently wrapped his arms around her. "Don’t worry, m'lady. We’re the heroes. We’re going to succeed one day." 

Ladybug sighed. "I hope, for everyone’s sake, that one day will come soon."

Chat Noir turned his head towards the sky. "I know that we can’t sleep easy until Hawkmoth is defeated but…"

He looked down. Her eyes had fallen shut. Chat couldn’t tell if she was awake or not. He smiled warmly. "But until then, m'lady, we can still rest. We aren't alone anymore."

He smiled as a ray of the afternoon sun lit up the street, washing gold over him and Ladybug.

On a roof behind them, Firebird watched them, her face resting on her hands. “Ugh. They’re too cute. And they say that they aren’t a couple.”

She turned and leaped away, heading back to her apartment. "I can’t wait until the day I find my soulmate," she whispered to herself, a small smile on her face. "I’m a little jealous."


	5. Medusa

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More villains, more angst, more fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I'm sorry that this chapter is really late.

Clara put the finishing touches on her mythology project. The task had been to choose a figure from mythology and write a presentation about them.

Clara had decided to write her presentation about Medusa. After all, Medusa was someone who had snakes for hair who could turn people into stone. Clara honestly thought that the Medusa was really cool.

"Alright!" she announced. "My project is ready for history class, which starts in…"

She checked the clock. "Two minutes! Oh no!"

Clara frantically scooped up her presentation and dashed out of the library.

Luckily, she managed to get to class on time. Clara sighed in relief as she placed her presentation down on her desk.

People began running through their presentations. She felt a slight bit of anxiety as the amount of people who hadn’t presented yet dwindled. Eventually, the teacher called upon Clara.

Clara picked up her presentation and ran to the front of the room. Before she started, she took a deep breath.  _ I can do this! _

She began to read her presentation. For a few minutes everything went well. Until it didn’t. Clara froze. The third page of her presentation was missing. "Is there a problem, Clara?" the teacher asked kindly.

"The third page!" Clara whimpered. "It’s gone! Can I run to the library real quick and look for it?” 

The teacher sighed. “Five minutes.”

Clara hurtled through the hallways as fast as she could, the rest of her project tucked under her arm. The library doors slammed open. Clara rushed over to the desk and frantically began searching it. She checked the floor, but the third page was nowhere in sight.

“Nononononononononononono…” Clara gasped as she felt a tear slide down her face. “I worked so hard on this project. I can’t fail because of a missing page!”

At that moment, a black butterfly fluttered into the library. It flapped close to her, before slipping into the rumpled pages of her project.

Clara watched the outline of a mask appear over her face. “Medusa, I am Hawkmoth,” a deep voice spoke. “Everyone is always in a rush. Sometimes people just need to… stop. I am giving you the power to turn all who see you into stone. In return, I require the Miraculous of Ladybug and Chat Noir.”

Clara grinned. “Of course, Hawkmoth.”

Dark energy swarmed over her body. When it disappeared, her skin had turned green, her hair was a nest of snakes, and the papers of her project had folded themselves into a mask that covered her face. She grinned as she pulled the mask off of her face, revealing green, reptilian eyes. She propped the mask up on the top of her head before turning and leaving the library.

~-~-~-

Adrien calmly walked through the library, running his hand along the bookshelf. He wasn’t looking for any book in particular, he just enjoyed the feeling of books under his hands. He had a little bit of time before his bodyguard came to pick him up.

Adrien had reached the end of the bookshelf when he heard someone crying. He peeked around the bookshelf to see what was going on.

A girl was kneeling on the floor, holding a pile of papers under her arm and crying. An akuma suddenly flew up to her, settling into the papers. As soon as the dark mist began pouring out of them, Adrien ducked back behind the bookshelf.

He opened up his overshirt, watching as his sleepy kwami tumbled out. Plagg yawned as he landed on the ground. “What is it?” he murmured, wiping at his eyes with a tiny paw.

“It’s an akuma! We need to get into action!” Adrien replied. “Plagg, claws out!”

A moment later, Chat Noir was perched on top of the bookshelf. The library was empty, except for a few statues. He frowned before bounding out of the library.

There were more statues in the hallway. He ran past them, looking into their terrified faces. The statues formed a trail, leading Chat Noir outside of the school. As he left the building, he heard the sound of two people landing behind him.

“What’s the situation, kitty?” Ladybug asked.

Chat Noir pulled out his baton. “The akuma has the ability to turn people into stone statues.”

Firebird and Ladybug both glanced at each other. “Like Medusa?” they asked at the same time.

Chat Noir tilted his head to the side. “You mean the girl who has snakes for hair?”

Firebird nodded, but she was frowning. “What are we supposed to do then?” she asked. “If we look at her, we risk becoming statues too.”

Ladybug pulled out her yo-yo. “We still have to go after her! We need to stop her from turning the whole city to stone!”

The three heroes bounded away, following the statues. After a few minutes, they caught up to the villain. They hid around the corner from her, watching her.

She was standing with her back to them, but the writhing nest of snakes was clear to see. “This looks like Medusa, alright.” Firebird muttered, pulling out her boomerang.

Chat Noir grinned. “Let’s go!”

“No, we can’t!” Ladybug exclaimed. “She’ll just turn us to stone if we do!”

“No, Ladybug, you can’t,” Chat Noir murmured, turning to Firebird. “But we can.”

Firebird nervously swallowed, but her determined gaze didn’t falter.

Chat Noir and Firebird stepped out into the street, glaring at the receding back of Medusa. They hesitated for just a moment before charging after her.

They grew closer and closer, weapons at the ready. Medusa slowly turned around, hearing the sounds of them running towards her. Chat Noir struck her with his baton, knocking her off balance. Firebird threw her boomerang, sweeping her off of her feet.

The two of them knelt beside Medusa, pressing her face and limbs into the ground. Firebird panted. “That was too easy.” she muttered.

Medusa growled, throwing both heroes off of her. Chat Noir flew into a building, wincing as the bricks cracked around him. Firebird hadn’t fared much better. She had formed a miniature crater in the street during her landing.

Medusa laughed as the battered heroes limped to each other. Her laugh was loud and raspy. Chat Noir and Firebird clenched their fists, gritting their teeth against the pain.

Medusa charged at them, moving faster than lightning. Chat Noir grabbed Medusa’s arm, trying to get her to keep still so Ladybug could free the akuma. Medusa’s other arm was grabbed by Firebird who had her eyes tightly squeezed shut.

Medusa easily wrenched her arms out of their grip. Before either hero could do anything, she turned to Chat Noir. He found himself staring into Medusa’s yellow eyes. They were the last thing he saw before everything went dark.

~-~-~-

"Chat Noir! No!" Ladybug exclaimed, running down the street.

Her partner froze, completely turned to stone. Medusa laughed before charging past him and running down the street. Ladybug felt tears sting her eyes as she stopped beside him. "Chat Noir…" she murmured as she caressed his stone cheek.

"Come on, we have to keep going!" Firebird urged. "We have to stop Medusa, so we can save him!"

Ladybug shook her head. "I don’t want to leave him like this!"

Firebird sighed. "There’s one thing I could do. I can’t guarantee that it will work, but I can try."

Ladybug whirled and grabbed her friend’s shoulders. "Do it! Please!"

"Alright, alright," Firebird mumbled as she shoved Ladybug off to the side. "Stand back."

Firebird seized Chat Noir’s stone hand. "Phoenix’s Rebirth!" she yelled.

Pale orange fire licked around the pair. It swirled, dancing around the two heroes. Chat Noir slowly began to return to normal. The restoration started with the top of his head, then moved down his body. He blinked and shook his head as it was freed. "Whoah!" he exclaimed. "My body feels really stiff."

"Well, yeah," Firebird replied as she poked him in the shoulder, which was still stone. "There’s kind of a reason why."

Chat Noir glanced down at himself. "Oh."

He stared at himself as his body slowly returned to normal. As soon as his arms were free, he began stretching them. "Wow, being a statue is really uncomfortable," he muttered. "I’m gonna ask them how they can stay in place one of these days."

"Uh huh, sure," replied Firebird absentmindedly. "Whatever you say."

Ladybug weakly smiled. "At least he’s okay now." she murmured.

"Right!" Firebird clapped her hands together. "We have a villain to stop, so let’s be on our way."

"Uh," Chat Noir replied. "My feet are still stone!"

Firebird shook her head apologetically. “Sorry,” she sheepishly muttered. “It’s the best that I can do.”

Ladybug frowned. “Looks like we need a little bit of good luck. Lucky charm!”

In a burst of pink light, a bag of corn starch fell into Ladybug’s hands.

“Well, that would be useful if we needed to make gravy out of her.” Chat Noir commented as he lifted up his newly restored feet.

“I don’t think that’s what it’s for,” Firebird commented. “I don’t think gravy would be helpful here.”

Ladybug ignored their comments and began glancing around. The only thing that stood out to her was a toppled sunglasses display. She dashed over to the stand. "Of course!" she exclaimed. "Wearing the sunglasses will block her from turning us to stone!"

Firebird grinned. "That actually WOULD be quite helpful."

She ran over to Ladybug and selected a pair of rectangular sunglasses with copper colored frames and an orange tint to the lenses. "Perfect!" she whispered as she put them on.

Ladybug chuckled as she picked up a pair that had the ladybug pattern on the frames. "Might as well," she grinned as she put them on.

Chat Noir rushed over and began sorting through the many sunglasses. "Come on,” he grumbled. “Where’s the Chat Noir glasses?"

Ladybug giggled as she held the Chat Noir sunglasses out to him. They had black frames with little cat ears at the outside edge of each lens. "Right here, Kitty." she murmured.

Chat Noir pouted at her before putting on his own sunglasses. "That's not funny." he huffed.

"I dunno," Firebird muttered. "It's kinda funny."

"Alright," Ladybug responded. "Let's go after that Medusa."

~-~-~-

Ladybug squinted her eyes out of frustration. Medusa was moving around too much. They couldn’t get close enough to her to try and find her akuma.

Chat Noir had tried to use his Cataclysm to trap Medusa under some rubble, but she had just thrown the rubble off, nearly flattening the poor cat in the process.

Ladybug charged at Medusa again, swerving around the snapping snakes. The villain darted around, constantly in motion. This time, Ladybug managed to land a hit on Medusa, kicking her in the left knee. Medusa slowed down, slightly limping.

A loud beeping sound cut through the air. Firebird’s necklace had lost three feathers. She glanced down at her necklace before looking up at Ladybug.

Ladybug nodded. Firebird immediately ran off, disappearing around a corner.

Since Medusa was slower now, Ladybug had some breathing room to try and figure out what she was supposed to do with cornstarch.

Her eyes landed on a nearby hose. A smile grew over her face. The plan was simple, but effective. She ran up to the hose, quickly turning on the water. “Chat Noir!” she called. “Over here!”

He dodged around Medusa’s next strike before running over to Ladybug. The villain was hot on his heels. Ladybug tossed the cornstarch to Chat Noir, who used his baton to hit it towards Medusa. The bag exploded when it hit Medusa, covering her with a thick layer of white powder.

Ladybug immediately used the hose to spray water all over Medusa. The villain flailed as she was slowed down by the goo that now covered her whole body. Ladybug tied Medusa up with her yo-yo, arresting the villains further movement.

With Medusa helpless, it didn’t take much time for the heroes to find her mask and break it. The akuma was captured and released. Ladybug picked up the bag that held the cornstarch. “Miraculous Ladybug!” she cried.

Everything was returned to normal, just as it always was. Medusa disappeared, only to be replaced with a small girl. Ladybug knelt down beside her. “What’s wrong?” Ladybug asked.

The girl wiped at her eyes. “I-I had a presentation today, and I couldn’t find the third page. I don’t want to fail.”

Ladybug frowned, her brow creasing. “Is there a way to get a new copy of the missing page?”

The girl shook her head. “I did it all on paper.”

While the girl stood up, Ladybug helped her pick up her scattered project. “Oh, now I feel so dumb!” the girl suddenly exclaimed. “The third page was sandwiched between the fourth and fifth pages the whole time! I was freaking out over nothing!”

Ladybug smiled. “That’s good. Do you want me to take you back to your school?”

The girl nodded. “Yes, thank you! Hopefully, I can still finish presenting my project!”

Ladybug waved at Chat Noir before scooping the girl up and leaping away, using her yo-yo to swing between the buildings. She followed the girl’s directions, quickly dropping her off at the school. As the girl ran off, Ladybug heard her earrings beep.

Fleeing with a speed that she had never known before, Ladybug managed to hide behind a tree near her school before her time ran out.

As soon as the transformation wore off, Marinette darted inside, quickly entering the classroom and sliding into her seat. No one batted an eye as she sat down, nor as an out-of-breath Adrien also entered the classroom and entered his seat.

~-~-~-

It was another patrol night. Every night, two of the three heroes would patrol together, letting one hero rest for the night. Tonight, it was Firebird’s and Chat Noir’s turn to patrol together.

Patrol hadn’t officially started yet, so the pair decided to just hang out. It wouldn’t hurt to just relax for a few minutes. What Ladybug didn’t know wouldn’t hurt her.

“Hey, Firebird, can I ask you something?” Chat Noir asked.

“Is this about the bodies?” Firebird replied.

Chat Noir froze. “What?”

Firebird glanced over at him. “What?”

“You asked if I was talking about the bodies.” Chat Noir replied.

“What bodies?” Firebird asked, folding her hands behind her back. “T-there’s no bodies.”

Chat gave her a blank stare. “Alright, I was joking around with you,” Firebird admitted. “You can dish it, but you can’t take it, Charcoal?”

“Charcoal? What kind of nickname is that?” Chat Noir asked with a smirk.

Firebird stroked her arm feathers. “I think it suits you,” she said defensively. “Anyways, what were you going to ask me?”

Chat Noir shifted his weight onto his left foot, resting a glare on Firebird. He lifted his middle finger on both of his hands and held them up to her. “Ah, you’re flipping me the  _ bird _ , I see.” Firebird commented.

“Boo! Get off the stage!” Chat Noir replied, cupping his hands around his mouth.

Firebird shrugged. “If you insist.”

Chat Noir diplomatically bowed. “Thank you.”

Firebird also bowed. “You’re welcome.”

The pair watched each other in silence before bursting into laughter. Firebird smiled. “So anyways, how are you?”

Chat Noir grinned. “I’m doing well. How are you?”

Firebird sighed. “I’m doing bet- I mean good.”

Chat Noir noticed her mistake, but didn’t comment on it. Firebird walked over to the edge of the roof and sat down, her legs dangling over the edge. Chat Noir sat down next to her. Firebird weakly smiled. “So…” she began. “I wanted to ask you, how… how do you do it? How do you balance being a hero and, and regular life? How do you even-”

Firebird stared deep into his eyes. She found herself struggling for words. She had seen the news, seen how many times Chat Noir had sacrificed himself for Ladybug. How many times he had gotten hurt or even killed.  _ His devotion to protect Ladybug reminds me of how many times I almost sacrificed myself to protect Scor- _

Firebird shook herself out of her thoughts. She clenched her fists, angry at her inability to form her thoughts into coherent words. 

Chat Noirs eyes were so open, filled with honesty and emotion. It shook her.

She breathed deeply, hoping that she hadn’t scared him. “How can you stand it?” she finally asked, her voice quiet. “How have you not broken down from all of this?”

Chat Noir smiled. It was a small, vulnerable smile, not like his usual cheeky grins. “Being a hero is rough. I should know, I’ve been through a lot,” he began. “But I have support from other people. From my friends, from you, from Ladybug. My lady has almost always been there for me. The two of us have gone through so much together.

Firebird hugged herself. “Why do you call her your lady? I mean, I’m not judging you, I’m just curious.”

Chat Noir put his hand over his heart. “Because she is the love of my life.”

Firebird flinched. “You… love her?”

Chat Noir nodded. Firebird couldn’t look into his eyes anymore. They were too open, too friendly. Too accepting. 

Firebird stared at her knees, chuckling weakly. “That is beautiful. Thank you for telling me something so… personal.”

Chat Noir patted her shoulder. “I trust you, Firebird.”

Firebird turned away from him. She didn’t want him to see the tears in her eyes. No one had ever told her, either as Firebird or Vanessa, that they trusted her before. Not unless the words ‘don’t’ or ‘will never’ were thrown into the mix. 

She wiped her tears away before looking back at her teammate.  _ Dare I say friend?  _ she thought.

“Thank you.” she whispered, her voice so weak that it could barely be heard.

The pair sat next to each other in silence for a while before Chat Noir stood up. He stretched his arms. “It’s really late,” he yawned. “We better start patrol now.”

Firebird nodded. “Alright. You go north, I go south?”

Chat Noir nodded and jumped off of the roof.

Firebird watched her teammate as he bounded off into the night. She sighed as he vanished. “Trust is dangerous,” she whispered, her voice breaking. “Especially if you trust someone as useless as me.”

She stood up and leaped off the roof, heading off to her own patrol.

~-~-~-

After patrol ended, Chat Noir bounded up to Firebird. “Hey, I finally remembered what I was going to ask you.” he murmured.

Firebird glanced over at Chat Noir. “Is this about the bodies?”

“You already used that joke,” Chat replied. “And no, this is not about the bodies.”

“Go ahead.” Firebird murmured, settling down on the roof.

“What’s your favorite food?”

Firebird furrowed her brow. “Uhh, well, I like popcorn, and anything with chocolate, and strawberries.”

Chat Noir suppressed a smile. “Alright.”

“What’s  _ your _ favorite food?” Firebird asked.

A large grin spread across Chat’s face. “Croissants.” he murmured in a dreamy voice.

Firebird nodded. “Good to know. Anything else?”

Chat Noir tapped his chin thoughtfully. “Well, I like pineapple too. And I like cheese.”

Firebird hid a smile.

The next patrol they had together, Firebird and Chat Noir both showed up with a box full of the other’s favorite foods.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Am I focusing too much on Vanessa?


	6. Mirror

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Two words. Friendship fluff.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! This is a long chapter!

Friendship.

In the past, Vanessa thought that she had it. She and Cecilia had been best friends, almost like sisters. Cecilia had been Vanessa’s only friend. The two were so close that they did almost everything together.

After some time, Vanessa realized that she was in love with Cecilia. She admired her beauty, and loved her wit and creativity. 

No matter how strong her love was, Vanessa had kept her feelings to herself. She didn’t want to ruin their friendship with her confession. It hurt to keep her love inside, but it was worth it.

And then Cecilia was gone. Their friendship had torn open and tossed into the wind. And it was all because of...

Vanessa sighed. She shouldn’t dwell too much on it. The pain from losing her only friendship stung enough, it would hurt worse if she thought about why it happened.

But now, Vanessa had friends again. Her new class was very tight-knit, and yet, they still found room for her. Right now, she was sitting at a table in a restaurant with Marinette, Adrien, Alya, Nino, and Chloe. Adrien and Chloe had decided to treat the rest of the group to lunch. 

Vanessa smiled. She was determined to enjoy her new friendships while they lasted. 

“H-hey! Jones!” a voice snapped Vanessa out of her thoughts. “Wake up! You’ve b-been staring at your food f-for ages now!”

“Thanks, Chloe.” Vanessa replied, a smile crossing her face.

As she began eating her lunch, she tried to keep herself from staring at Chloe. No matter how large her crush on Chloe was, Vanessa had sworn off love. If she couldn’t even do friendship properly, then she definitely couldn’t do a romantic relationship.

Vanessa was good at keeping her feelings buried. It didn’t matter if a smile slipped out when Chloe called her by her last name, or if she blushed every time she saw Chloe’s face.

Little things like that didn’t matter at all.

Vanessa quickly finished her lunch, setting her fork on her plate. The rest of the group had also finished their food and were getting ready to leave. After the bill was paid, the group walked out of the restaurant. Vanessa found herself walking in the front beside Nino, while Alya and Marinette chatted behind them. Adrien and Chloe were in the back.

“So, dude,” Nino began. “How has your time in Paris been so far?”

Vanessa smiled. “It’s been great! I’ve never had so many friends before!”

Nino’s brow furrowed slightly. Vanessa’s face fell. _Oops. I said the wrong thing again._ “I-I mean, I’m glad to have the friends I made here!” she murmured.

Nino smiled. “We’re glad to have you as one of our friends too, dude! You’re really cool to be around!”

Vanessa weakly smiled, feeling her doubts and insecurities swirl through her mind like poison, blighting her happiness. “Thank you,” she whispered.

“So, how’s your sculpture coming along?” Nino asked.

“The sculpture?” Vanessa responded, confused.

“You know, the sculpture you said that you were going to do of Ladybug and Chat Noir, dude.” Nino replied.

“Oh, that’s right! The sculpture! I completely forgot!” Vanessa exclaimed. “I’m still getting used to my new routine, so I haven’t gotten around to making it yet. Don’t worry, I’ll get started soon!”

Nino grinned. “That’s good, dude. You sounded _super_ excited when you were talking about making it. I can’t wait to see it!”

Vanessa beamed. “I can’t wait to show you!”

The pair continued their conversation until the group had to separate so they could sit in their seats for class. 

~-~-~-

Adrien smirked at Chloe as he walked alongside her. “It’s not like you to be tongue-tied.”

She folded her arms. “What do you mean, Adrien?”

“Don’t think I didn’t notice the way you stuttered around Vanessa.” Adrien smugly replied.

Chloe reddened. “You think I have a crush on Jones? Ridiculous, utterly rid- yes I do.”

Adrien elbowed Chloe. “Luckily for you, our class is full of benevolent people willing to help out someone in need.”

Chloe laughed. “Right. I’ve seen some of the schemes that Dupain-Cheng has set up. There’s no way I’m going to do one of those.” she scoffed, but with her voice lacking venom.

“You never know,” Adrien replied. “After all, Juleka and Rose, as well as Nathaniel and Marc got together thanks to Marinette. She’s incredible.”

“Alright, alright,” Chloe responded, exasperatedly waving her hands in front of her face. “I get it, you have a crush on Dupain-Cheng.”

“Don’t bring me into this,” Adrien replied. “This conversation is about confessing _your_ feelings.”

“Oh, look at him not denying it.” Chloe muttered.

“Chloe!” Adrien scolded. “Focus!”

“On what?” Chloe asked.

“Confessing to Vanessa.”

Chloe laughed. “For the last time, I’m not going to ask out Vanessa!”

Adrien smiled. “Why not? We can call it Operation Confessa!”

Chloe folded her arms. “You’re strange.” she muttered.

“ _You’re_ strange.” Adrien replied.

The pair walked in comfortable silence for a moment.

“So, how have you been doing, Chloe?” Adrien asked.

Chloe sighed. “In all honesty? I’m having a hard time. I’m still facing backlash from my time as a bully, as well as my involvement in the unmasking of all those heroes when I was Miracle Queen.”

Adrien patted her shoulder. “I’m proud of you, Chloe. You haven’t slid back into your old habits, even though you have to deal with all of this.”

Chloe weakly smiled. “I’m proud of myself, too. I like being a better person. Even if I can’t be a hero anymore, I can still be a good human being.”

“How has things with Sabrina been going?” Adrien asked.

Chloe sighed. “It’s a slow process, but she’s starting to forgive me. Even if we aren’t friends yet, I’m just glad that she can finally stand up for herself.”

Adrien grinned. “I’m glad that you’re trying to fix everything that you’ve hurt.”

“I’ve hurt a lot of people, but I’m fixing everything that I can,” Chloe replied. “People in our class actually say hello to me now.”

“See, that’s progress!” Adrien exclaimed. “Now, let’s see if we can get some progress for Operation Conf-”

A moment later, Adrien squirmed around as Chloe caught him in a headlock. She calmly walked along, keeping him trapped with her arm. Marinette and Alya both saw his suffering, but like the traitors they were, they didn’t help him.

~-~-~-

School had just finished up when an akuma alert blared. With a sigh, three students quickly stuffed their possessions in their bags and ran out of the classroom. Marinette disappeared into the girl’s bathroom, hiding in a stall before transforming. Adrien ran into an empty classroom. A few moments later, Chat Noir ran out of the classroom. Vanessa dashed out of the school and dove into a bush, emerging a minute later transformed and ready for battle.

Today’s villain called himself Mirror. He was wearing a silver bodysuit and a matching mask. Over his suit, he wore a suit of armour that had its plates made out of mirrors. He was wearing a silver helmet over his head. He held a small handheld mirror with a silver handle in his right hand. In the area around him, there were standing mirrors that reflected panicked civilians, even though no one stood in front of the mirrors.

As the heroes arrived on the scene, Mirror whirled to face them. “Ah, the heroic trio of Paris!” he exclaimed. “Hand over your Miraculous!”

“Hawkmoth, the answer’s always the same. It’s a no from me,” Firebird replied in a tired voice. “What about you guys?”

“Yeah, I’m also saying no,” Chat Noir answered. “After all, I would lose my crowds of admirers. What do you say, Ladybug?”

Ladybug rolled her eyes. “I say not a chance.”

Mirror growled. “Then I shall take your Miraculous with force.”

He held up his handheld mirror. Rays of light began shooting out of it. The heroes jumped and dodged, avoiding the blasts. “The akuma appears to be in his handheld mirror!” Ladybug exclaimed.

“Alright, so how do we get it?” Firebird asked.

Ladybug pulled out her yo-yo. “Cover me so I can use my power!”

Chat Noir nodded. “Hey, Mirror! Hit the moving target!” he called, using his baton to vault over Mirror’s head.

The baton struck Mirror’s head as Chat landed. The villain turned to glare at him. “I’ll get you, you stupid cat!”

Firebird laughed and kicked Mirror on his back as the villain charged at Chat. “I would tell you to bite my shiny metal ass, but you seem to have that department covered.” Firebird quipped as Mirror turned to face her.

While Mirror began chasing between the two mocking heroes, Ladybug called for her Lucky Charm. A small container of something red began falling from the sky. Before Ladybug could catch it, Mirror lunged out, tapping Ladybug’s arm with his handheld mirror. She disappeared in a flash of light, reappearing inside the mirror.

“No! Ladybug!” Chat Noir yelled.

Mirror grinned. He placed his hand on the surface of his mirror before sweeping it outwards. An orb of light sailed from his hand before hitting the ground. The orb exploded, bright light expanding outwards. The light faded to reveal a person.

The person looked similar to Ladybug. She was wearing Ladybug’s old costume, except that pale green replaced the red and her spots and hair were white. Her eyes were yellow, and seemed almost reptilian.

The Ladybug clone stopped in front of the heroes. She mockingly bowed, then spoke in a loud voice. "Well met. My name is Aphid."

The heroes swallowed nervously. Chat Noir patted Firebird’s arm. “Uh, you hold them off while I see what Ladybug’s Lucky Charm is.”

Firebird nodded. Chat ran off, heading towards the spot where Ladybug’s Lucky Charm had fallen. As he ran, Firebird held her boomerang in front of herself with her left hand, pointing it at Aphid. The villain began spinning her yo-yo around, creating a green circle in the air. She glared at Firebird, her yellow eyes devoid of anything except anger.

She threw her yo-yo. Firebird ducked, watching it sail over her head in a blur of green. She immediately threw her boomerang at Aphid, hitting her in the stomach. Aphid lurched back, coughing up blood. Her blood was light blue, adding to the sheer _wrongness_ of her.

Aphid spat on the ground. “I’ll get you for that,” she growled. “Cursed Charm!”

A long green rod with white spots and points on it’s ends fell into Aphid’s hands. She wickedly grinned, putting her yo-yo back onto her belt. She expertly twirled the rod around before dropping into a combat stance.

Firebird paused. If Aphid used her rod, she would quickly overpower Firebird. Her boomerang was not a good melee weapon.

In that moment of hesitation, Mirror struck Firebird with a clenched fist, launching the orange heroine into the air. She hit the ground and rolled, eventually landing on her stomach. She picked herself up, growling as her body ached in pain. Mirror and Aphid charged at her again. Firebird weakly held up her boomerang, bracing herself for their attacks.

Before either villain could reach her, Chat Noir landed in their path. He used his baton to smack the Lucky Charm into Mirror’s face. It exploded, enveloping both Mirror and Aphid in a cloud of red powder. Both villains screamed and began frantically rubbing at their eyes. “What was that?” Firebird asked.

Chat Noir grinned. “Chili powder.”

“Ooh, ouch,” Firebird flinched. “That must sting.”

Chat Noir used his baton to knock the handheld mirror out of Mirror’s grip. It tumbled to the ground. Aphid lurched towards the mirror and picked it up. “I’ll kill you for that!” she roared.

She threw her yo-yo, but since she was blinded, Chat Noir easily caught it in his claws. “Cataclysm!” he growled.

Aphid growled as the yo-yo turned to dust in her grip. She held her rod defensively in front of her chest, moving the hand that held the mirror behind her back. Mirror stepped in front of her, his eyes squeezed tightly shut.

The two heroes nodded at each other. Chat Noir charged in, easily knocking the blinded Mirror off to the side. His next swing, which was intended for Aphid, was blocked by her rod. The two of them began to duel each other, their weapons clacking together.

Meanwhile, Firebird sneaked around so that she was standing behind Aphid. She threw her boomerang, knocking the mirror out of Aphid’s grip. The villain gasped as it fell, but Firebird had already snatched it up. Chat Noir took advantage of Aphid’s distraction to knock her rod out of her hands.

Firebird quickly tied up Aphid with her boomerang, making sure that the clone couldn’t wriggle free. She turned her attention to the handheld mirror. Ladybug’s reflection was waving her hands around. “What is it, Ladybug?” Firebird asked. “What do we need to do?”

Ladybug began miming something. She made a circle motion around her neck, then tapped on her chest, then pointed at Firebird. “Ooh this is tricky,” Firebird muttered. “Neck, chest, me… neck chest, necklace… necklace… Oh! _My_ necklace!”

Ladybug nodded. Firebird tilted her head to the side. “What about my necklace?”

There was a moment where Ladybug held her chin with her hand before she brightened up. She began trailing her hands upwards, then wiped imaginary sweat off of her forehead. Next, she repeated the necklace motion. Firebird frowned. “Hey, Chat. What do you think she’s trying to say?”

Chat Noir watched Ladybug repeat the motions again. He also frowned. “Something about heat, definitely.” he muttered.

Firebird jumped. “Oh, of course! Ladybug wants me to use my power!” she turned back to the mirror. “But which one? The destructive or the creative?”

Ladybug pointed at herself. “Got it!” Firebird beamed. “Step back, Chat Noir! I need some space!”

Chat Noir backed up a few feet. Firebird grinned at the mirror, wishing she could see the excitement and joy in her reflection. “Phoenix’s Rebirth!”

~-~-~-

The inside of the mirror was just like the real world. It reflected her surroundings perfectly. The only thing off about it was that, beyond the window that showed Ladybug the real world, there was nothing. It was only a black wall.

Ladybug couldn’t see much of the real world. Her window was about the size of a laptop screen, except it was oval shaped. She assumed that she could see the real world through the surface of Mirror’s handheld mirror.

After a few minutes, Firebird’s face appeared in the mirror. Ladybug immediately began shouting and waving her hands around, trying to catch Firebird’s attention. “What is it, Ladybug?” Firebird asked. “What do we need to do?”

“You need to use the creative aspect of Phoenix’s Rebirth!” Ladybug responded.

Firebird didn’t respond. _She can’t hear me._ Ladybug realized. She immediately began miming a necklace, then pointed at Firebird. “Ooh this is tricky,” Firebird muttered. “Neck, chest, me… neck chest, necklace?… necklace, me… Oh! _My_ necklace!”

Ladybug nodded. Firebird tilted her head to the side. “What about my necklace?”

After a few moments of careful thought, an idea hit Ladybug. She began trailing her hands upwards, then wiped imaginary sweat off of her forehead. “Fire!” she yelled. “It’s fire!”

Next, she repeated the necklace motion. Firebird frowned, turning away from the mirror. “Hey, Chat. What do you think she’s trying to say?”

Chat Noir appeared in the window and watched Ladybug as she repeated the motions again. He also frowned. “Something about heat, definitely.” he muttered.

Firebird jumped. “Oh, of course! Ladybug wants me to use my power!” she turned back to the mirror. “But which one? The destructive or the creative?”

Ladybug pointed at herself. “Creative!” she yelled.

“Got it!” Firebird exclaimed, her face full of excitement. Ladybug nearly smiled as she looked at her teammate’s expression. It was so innocent and pure.

“Step back, Chat Noir! I need some space!” Firebird yelled, snapping Ladybug back to reality.

Chat Noir backed away, disappearing from Ladybug’s vision. Firebird grinned at the mirror. “Phoenix’s Rebirth!” she exclaimed.

Ladybug felt a pull, as if something was tugging her. A hand made of fire reached through the window and dragged her out, bringing her back into the real world.

“Yay! I was useful!” Firebird yelled. “Oh, here’s the mirror.”

Ladybug took the mirror from Firebird. She dropped it on the ground and smashed it with her heel. The akuma that fluttered out was quickly dealt with.

“Miraculous Ladybug!”

After everything was fixed, the three heroes all bumped fists. “Pound it!” they exclaimed.

“Good job today!” Ladybug exclaimed, patting Chat Noir’s and Firebird’s shoulders. “I’m sorry that I didn’t do much today.”

“Eh, we all have our good days,” Firebird replied. “Although, I’m gonna go check and see what made this guy’s day so bad. Later!”

Ladybug and Chat Noir bounded away from the battle. Both of their Miraculous beeped, but they still had a few minutes. “So,” Ladybug began. “What do you think of Firebird?”

“She’s great!” Chat replied. “She really fits in well in our team! Although…”

He paused for a moment. “We don’t know much about her. Her past is a closed book. Firebird obviously has been a hero before, but I didn’t find anything when I searched up her name.”

Ladybug frowned. “We haven’t known her for that long, so she might not trust us with that information yet. She’ll tell us when she’s ready.”

Chat Noir nodded. Ladybug smiled at him. “Anyways, we have to part ways now. See you at patrol tonight.”

She bounded away, watching Chat out of the corner of her eye as he waved at her.

~-~-~-

Vanessa was peacefully sleeping. However she was abruptly woken up by a sound on her balcony. She was up in a flash, silently creeping into the kitchen. She seized her biggest saucepan, ready to defend herself. Iraa sat in the pocket of her pajamas, her warmth reassuring Vanessa.

She peeked through the balcony window to see a figure wearing all black sitting on her balcony. _A robber!_ she thought.

She slowly and silently slid the door open. The robber didn't hear her. She slowly stalked across the balcony until she was standing right behind him. She swung the saucepan down on his head, knocking him out with a single blow.

"Ha!" she gloated. "Serves you right, robber!"

The robber didn't move. She dropped her weapon and flipped him over, trying to see if he was breathing. "Huh," she squinted. "What kinda robber dresses up like a superhero? He looks just like Chat Noir."

Iraa jumped out of her pocket, looking down at the unconscious man. "Uh, Nessa. I think that IS Chat Noir."

Vanessa felt her stomach sink. "Oh no. Oh no. I attacked one of the heroes of Paris. I attacked one of my friends! This is almost as bad as the time I-"

"Get him inside!” Iraa interrupted. “Don’t leave him out here!"

Vanessa seized his arms and dragged him inside. "Oof!" she grunted. "He's as thin as a string bean! Why's he so heavy?"

Eventually, Vanessa managed to haul the unconscious hero onto her couch. "Alright," she huffed. "Now what?"

Iraa rolled her eyes. "Get him some ice. I imagine that his head's gonna hurt."

Vanessa ran into the kitchen and fetched some ice from the freezer, putting it in a plastic bag before wrapping it in a towel. "I have to figure out how I'm going to get out of this. I don’t think that having an angry cat hero in my house will end well for me. He might claw up my furniture! OR MY FACE!"

Iraa flew back into the master bedroom as Vanessa placed the ice on Chat Noir’s head. "I'm going back to bed," the kwami sighed. "We don't want him to see me, after all. Good night, and good luck."

Vanessa miserably sighed. “G'night, Iraa,” she whispered. 

As she shut the bedroom door, she looked down at herself. “It’s ironic that I’m wearing my Chat Noir pajamas the same night I hit him over the head.”

For the next few minutes, Vanessa quietly rushed around her apartment, fetching things for the unconscious Chat Noir. She made tea, draped a blanket over him, and left a plate of cookies on the living room table.

"I wonder if I should call someone," she pondered as she sat down in the kitchen. "It’s not like I can search up ‘help I accidentally knocked out a superhero’ on the internet."

At that moment, she heard a loud groan coming from the couch. _Ack! He's awake!_

~-~-~-

Chat Noir knew a lot about Paris. He knew the best places to sit, where he could be alone, with nothing but the night air and the city sounds for company. It was one of the few times he could actually stand to be alone. One of those places was a third-floor balcony on an apartment building.

He sat down on the balcony, his eyes closed. He felt so serene and calm. He smiled as his senses began to explore his surroundings.

He was not expecting the burst of pain on his head, followed by unconsciousness.

When he woke up, he was laying on a couch, a blanket over his body and something cold by his head. He was staring at a ceiling. He groaned and sat up, watching as a bag of ice wrapped with a towel slid onto the floor. "Where am I?" he asked, his voice soft.

Someone crept into the living room. He immediately recognized them. Vanessa cautiously crept over to him, her hazel eyes filled with fear. Her hands were folded behind her back. Chat Noir had to stop himself from snorting in amusement when he recognized her attire. The acid green pawprints on black cloth was the design of the classic Chat Noir pajamas.

Vanessa weakly cleared her throat. “I-I’m sorry,” she murmured. “I didn’t mean to hurt you.”

Chat Noir picked the ice up off of the ground and held it to his sore head. “What happened?” he asked, more confused than annoyed.

Vanessa paled. "I’m so sorry!" she choked out. "I thought you were a robber!"

Chat Noir blinked in confusion. "What?"

Vanessa flapped her arms around, her eyes wide. "I didn’t realize that you were Chat Noir! I thought that you were a robber when I saw you on my balcony, so... I… um…"

She put her face in her hands. "I hit you over the head with a saucepan!" she whimpered.

Chat Noir curiously squinted. "Why’d you think I was a robber?"

Vanessa quivered. "Well… you were on my balcony… and you were wearing all black, and… well..."

Chat Noir blinked. "Oh." he whispered.

Vanessa began backing out of the room. "I'll just go now. Sorry again!"

"No, it’s okay. It’s fine if you stay." Chat Noir murmured.

"Uh, okay!" Vanessa nervously responded.

She scrambled over to the living room table and sat down on it. She reached over and picked up the plate of cookies. "Uh, cookie?"

Chat Noir grinned and grabbed the entire plate. "Well," he murmured. "You've already got yourself a good start on the road to forgiveness."

Vanessa looked slightly calmer. "Yeah…"

The room was silent except for the sounds of Chat Noir eating. "Uh, do you want me to call someone? You were out for a few minutes." Vanessa asked.

Chat Noir shook his head. "No, it’s fine."

“Would you like some tea?” Vanessa questioned.

“No thank you.” Chat replied.

“Alright, I’m gonna pour myself a cup. Holler if you change your mind.” Vanessa murmured.

She crept off, slipping through a door. As she disappeared, Chat Noir pulled the blanket over his head, trying to hide away from the world. He was embarrassed that he had been knocked out so easily.

Footsteps entered the living room. "You alright?" Vanessa’s voice asked.

"Just tired," Chat replied as he tugged the blanket off of himself and stood up. "I should probably get going."

"Okay," Vanessa replied replied. "I'm sorry again."

Chat Noir strolled onto the balcony, giving her a small smile. "I forgive you." he replied. "Please don’t hit me again, though."

“Heh, I won’t!” Vanessa nervously replied.

Chat Noir waved before diving off of her balcony. He used his baton to vault home, determined to finish his night as quickly as possible. He was thanking the kwamis that he had already finished up his patrol for the night.

Chat Noir swung into his room through the window. “Claws in.” he murmured.

Plagg burst out into laughter as soon as he was free from the ring. Adrien glared at him as he rubbed the lump on his head. “This isn’t funny, Plagg.”

“O-of course it’s not funny!” Plagg gasped as he kept laughing. “It’s hilarious! She knocked you out with a single swing!”

Adrien folded his arms crossly. “Nice to know that you’re worried about me.”

Plagg clutched at his stomach. “Don’t worry, kid! You’ll be fine! I know how thick that skull of yours can be!”

Adrien sighed and buried himself in his sheets. “I wish that I can just forget tonight.”

“Well, you can’t,” Plagg replied. “And I also will never let you live it down.”

“Great.” Adrien muttered. “Just great.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> What? The author actually posted a chapter on time? Impossible!


	7. Silhouette

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Yep, that's right! Another villain!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Once again, I'm sorry that this chapter's late. I might have to change my update schedule if I keep this up.

Grace screamed as she threw her costume headpiece. It left a small black scrape as it hit the wall before bouncing onto the floor. She heaved for breath, trying to see through her tears. _How dare they?_ she thought. _How dare they say that about me?_

Her acting had been flawless, and yet the casting crew had the gall to say that she wasn’t talented enough. She had smashed the competition for that audition, but those blind fools mocked her, saying that her acting just wasn’t what it used to be. They had the nerve to say that she was just a shadow of her former self. She glared at her reflection in the mirror, the large costume jewelry shining in the white lights of the room.

A dark butterfly flew into the room, merging with one of her necklaces. “Silhouette, I am Hawkmoth. People say that you’re just a shadow, so I’m giving you the power to turn them into your shades. In exchange, I need the Miraculous of Ladybug and Chat Noir. If you can manage it, take Firebird’s as well.”

“Of course, Hawkmoth,” Silhouette replied. “I’ll show them who the shadows are.”

Dark mist swirled over her body, changing her. Her gaudy costume was replaced with a grey long-sleeved shirt with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, a white vest and pants, and a pair of grey boots. She was wearing a black necklace around her neck and matching bracelets around both of her wrists. Her skin faded until it was white, her hair turning the same color and billowing around her like a cloud. A mask grew over her entire face. It was hard, almost plastic-like, and completely white. A vertical crease ran down the center of the mask. A twisted smile with sharp fangs and large, featureless eyes were all that was on the mask.

Silhouette clenched her fists. “I’ll get my revenge on those fools.” she growled.

The casting crew was wrapping up auditions when Silhouette burst in. People screamed and scattered as she landed among them. She bounded up to the nearest civilian and seized his wrist. He gasped before he changed. A mask that was similar to Silhouette’s, except all that was on the face was a pair of slits where his eyes should be, evenly mirrored on either side of the crease. His body changed too, turning entirely grey and growing porcupine spikes.

Silhouette gently caressed his mask. “Go, my shade,” she cooed. “Bring me someone else to work my magic on.”

A few minutes later, Silhouette strode out of the theater, followed by a crowd of roughly twenty shades. “Ladybug! Chat Noir!” she screamed. “Where are you? You know what I want!”

Firebird landed in front of Silhouette, her boomerang drawn. “Hey there,” she called, her voice extremely chipper. “I know you didn’t call me, but I showed up anyway! I’m an expert at showing up where I’m not wanted.”

Silhouette toyed with one of her bracelets. “I’ll never turn away a surprise guest!” she exclaimed. “That would be rude of me!”

Firebird grinned. “Shall we?”

Silhouette made a gesture with her hand. “Go, my shades! Bring me her beautiful necklace!”

Firebird’s eyes widened as they rushed at her. She used her boomerang to swing onto a nearby roof, dodging the reaching claws of Silhouette’s shades.

While her minions occupied the hero, Silhouette busied herself with making more shades. She ran after people, running her hands across them. She felt joy swell in her as the masks grew over their faces, and their bodies warped to change into… she wasn’t sure what their transformations were supposed to represent. Was their shade-form their true selves? The monsters within? Either way, it didn't matter. They served her now.

Silhouette grinned. Her shades were very elegant and dangerous creatures. Their new bodies had all sorts of weapons. Some had wings, some had spikes, some had stingers, some had horns. All of them had claws, which were sharp and strong.

Silhouette was lifted onto a roof by one of her shades. She could see that Firebird had been joined by Ladybug and Chat Noir on another rooftop. Her body dissolved into mist, which began swirling towards the heroes.

~-~-~-

Ladybug and Chat Noir landed on the roof. Firebird was already there, fending off some sort of monster. It was a mass of tentacles, and was wearing a strange mask. It was pure white, with two slits in place of eyes and a vertical crease running down the center of it.

Chat Noir smacked the monster away from Firebird with his baton. Ladybug stepped up to Firebird. “What’s the situation?” Ladybug asked.

“Uh, where to begin?” Firebird pondered, dusting herself off. “The villain’s called Silhouette. She’s not hard to miss. She’s got a mask just like the rest of these monstrosities, but it has eyes and a mouth.”

“What are her powers?” Ladybug asked.

“She can touch people and turn them into ‘shades’. Their bodies change into these monster thingies that follow her orders. So whatever you do, don’t let her touch you.”

Ladybug nodded. “Where is her akuma?”

Firebird shrugged. “She’s got some jewelry on. Two bracelets and a necklace. It could be any of those.”

A woman matching Firebird’s description appeared on the roof. “Ah!” she exclaimed. “This is why I like surprise guests! They sometimes bring friends!”

Ladybug narrowed her eyes. “You’re Silhouette, I assume?”

“Cor-rect!” Silhouette replied, clapping her pale hands together.

Ladybug pulled out her yo-yo and began twirling it in front of her, shielding herself from Silhouette. The villain grinned, cracking her knuckles. She lunged at Chat Noir.

He fended her off with his baton, blocking her grasping hands. He flung her away. She landed on her back, grunting with pain. Before Chat could hit her again, he heard a gasp from behind him.

Chat Noir turned to see a second Silhouette, her hands tightly clutching both Ladybug and Firebird’s wrists. The first Silhouette walked up to the second one, receiving a pat on her cheek. “Good job, my shade,” the second one murmured. “They really thought that you were me, when you were only a stand-in. What fools!”

While Silhouette was talking, the heroines she had in her grip were turned into shades.

Ladybug’s shade looked like a statue of glass. Her skin was transparent, but shone in the sunlight. Her mask was just like the rest of the shades. She was wearing a white, shoulderless gown that ended at her ankles. Her pigtails, which were now white, flowed to her waist. The ribbons that kept her hair in place had turned white, and were tattered at the ends. Her earrings were still in her ears, completely untouched.

Firebird’s shade was black fog that was shaped into a human-like figure. Her mask was just like the rest, except a crack shaped like a twisted smile had appeared where her mouth would be. Her hair remained in it’s same style, except it was now pure white. Her necklace floated in the center of her chest, the chain rippling in the dark mist.

Silhouette mirthlessly laughed. “Ah, what beautiful shades they are!” she exclaimed. “They are the first to not be monstrous!”

Chat Noir swatted Silhouette away with his baton, knocking her off the roof. As she fell, Chat Noir ran up to the two shades. He felt horrified tears build in his eyes as he looked upon them. Ladybug and Firebird’s shades turned their heads to face him at the same time. The movement was stiff, almost dollike.

Chat Noir ran a claw over the smooth surface of Ladybug’s mask. The shade didn’t respond. “Ladybug,” he whispered. “I know that you’re in there. Please, fight against her.”

The shade tilted its head to the side. Chat Noir nervously laughed and grabbed its hands. “Come on, Ladybug. Paris needs you. I need you.”

The shade slowly moved it’s head down to look at its hands. It didn’t pull them away. Slowly, its head moved back to look at Chat Noir. “It’s me, bugaboo.” he whispered.

It stared at him for a moment. “ _Chat Noir?_ ” it whispered, it’s voice so soft that it could barely be heard.

Chat Noir grinned, tears running down his face. “Yes!” he replied, his voice quivering. “Yes, it’s me!”

The shade reached up and wiped the tears out of his eyes. It lowered its hand, letting it dangle by its side. A crack appeared in the mask.

Chat Noir reached out, about to caress her face. A hand gripped his arm before he could reach her, yanking it back. He yowled in pain, turning away from Ladybug.

Firebird’s shade clutched onto his arm, the dark mist having solidified into a hand. It pulled his arm, tugging him away from Ladybug.

Chat Noir slashed at the hand holding him with his claws, but they passed through the hand without doing anything. The shade continued dragging him along, pulling him farther and farther away from Ladybug.

Silhouette climbed back onto the roof, looking a little worse for wear. “Come here, my shades.” she hissed.

Ladybug’s shade walked forwards, grabbing his other arm. He struggled, but their grips were tight and unrelenting. They stopped when they were in front of Silhouette. The expression on her mask warped into a smile. “Come here, kitty-cat.” she crooned, reaching out to touch him.

Chat Noir pulled back, fighting with every ounce of his being. 

He wrenched out of the shade’s grip, leaping away from them. He ran off as soon as he was free, trying to put as much distance between him and Silhouette as possible.

He managed to hide himself on a nearby rooftop. He watched Silhouette, his eyes narrowed to slits. She paced around her two shades, her expression angry. “Where did that stray cat get to?” she growled.

After a moment she stopped, standing in front of Firebird’s shade. “Never mind him. He’ll show up soon. I’ll take care of the bug and the bird in the meantime.”

Chat Noir watched as Silhouette reached into Firebird’s chest, the dark mist swirling around her fingers. She pulled the necklace out.

Firebird’s shade changed. The mist grew patchy, parts of her body fading away. The smile on her mask disappeared. Her hair was pulled up into a ponytail, which grew to reach her waist.

Chat Noir clenched his claws as he watched Silhouette remove Ladybug’s earrings. Her hair fell out of its ponytails, causing a long curtain of white hair to fall down her back. The crack that had appeared in her mask before grew, stopping at the center of her face.

As much as Chat wanted to stare at Ladybug, or whoever was under her mask, he couldn’t let Silhouette keep the Miraculous. He leaped out of his hiding spot, bounding over the roof. The villain and her shades had no time to react before Chat Noir knocked the Miraculous out of Silhouette’s hands. He bounded across the roof, scooping up the earrings and necklace before they fell off of the roof.

He quickly bounded away, putting some distance between himself and Silhouette. When he was sure that he was safe, he dropped into an alley. “Claws in.” he muttered.

As Plagg tumbled out of the ring, Adrien slid it off of his finger and quickly clipped the Ladybug earrings onto his ears. Tikki appeared in a flash of light, looking a little confused. “What’s going on?” she asked.

“Ladybug’s down for the count,” Adrien replied. “Firebird too. It’s up to me to save them.”

Tikki frowned. “Well, you know the words.”

“Tikki! Spots on!”

A moment later, Mister Bug leaped out of the alley, ready to take on Silhouette again. He opened up his yo-yo, checking the news to see if Silhouette had moved. Luckily, she had not.

Mister Bug quickly bounded over to her. He threw his yo-yo, hitting Silhouette on the side of her head. She fell over, her limbs flailing about.

Silhouette glared at Mister Bug. “Looks like I’m not the only one with a stand-in,” she growled. “Protect me, my shades!”

Mister Bug scoffed. “I’m an outstanding stand-in! I can beat you all by myself!”

Silhouette’s minions began crawling onto the roof, crowding the small space. Mister Bug couldn’t see Ladybug or Firebird through all the shades. He backed away as more and more shades began to climb up, their masks all turned towards him.

He threw his yo-yo, striking the mask of the nearest shade, a black winged creature with bony limbs. The mask _shattered_ , white chips falling to the ground. The creature turned back into a person, who immediately screamed and fainted when they spotted the army of shades. Mister Bug grinned. “If I break their masks, they return to normal!” he exclaimed.

He charged at the shades, his yo-yo blurring around him. Any shade that grew close to him lost its mask, returning back to a normal person.

Suddenly, Mister Bug saw Ladybug and Firebird. He stopped in his tracks, his yo-yo clattering to the ground. He wanted to set them free so badly. But if he did, he would know their identities. Ever since meeting Ladybug, he had desperately wanted to know who she was behind the mask. But he didn’t want to find out like this. Especially not while Hawkmoth could potentially see her.

He turned away from his teammates and continued fighting through the shades. For every shade he freed, more came to replace it. Mister Bug was getting exhausted, not to mention, his aim with the yo-yo wasn’t perfect. Sometimes, he had to throw his yo-yo several times to free one shade. He couldn’t keep it up.

Mister Bug threw his yo-yo, wrapping it around a chimney on a nearby roof. He swung away from the reaching arms of the shades, perching on the tiled rooftop. He wiped sweat off of his forehead. “This isn’t looking good,” he groaned. “I need a little bit of ‘assistance’. Lucky Charm!”

A package wrapped in ladybug-patterned plastic tumbled into Mister Bug’s hands. He tore it open, squinting curiously. “What’s this?” he pondered as the contents tumbled into his hands. “Extra-large rain ponchos?”

Mister Bug glanced around, trying to figure out what he should do with the ponchos. His eyes landed on Ladybug, Silhouette, and Firebird. “Oh,” he murmured. “I see!”

Mister Bug rose up, taking a deep breath. He grinned as he dove into the crowd of the shades, heading straight for Ladybug. He pulled one of the ponchos over her head. “Sorry, Ladybug.” he murmured, pushing her to the ground.

Firebird charged at him. Mister Bug grabbed her arms and slammed her to the roof. Her mask cracked as her head collided with the ground. He slid another poncho over her head, making sure that she was entirely hidden.

A few shades galloped towards Mister Bug, snarling despite their lack of mouths. Mister Bug pushed Firebird towards the shades. She rolled across the ground, knocking them off of their feet-like appendages. They toppled down, squishing Firebird beneath them. Mister Bug flinched. “Sorry, Firebird.” he whispered.

Mister Bug turned his attention to Silhouette next. She glared at him, her hands clenching into fists. “I’ll teach you a lesson you’ll never forget!” she growled, leaping towards him. “I’ll make you into one of my shades!”

Mister Bug smothered Silhouette with his last poncho. Silhouette blindly flailed about, trying to tug it off of her face. While she was distracted, Mister Bug tied her up with his yo-yo. He then scooped her up and leaped off of the roof, taking her away from her shades.

Silhouette struggled as she was dropped onto the ground. She growled as she tried to tear through the poncho, but with her hands tied, she couldn’t rip free. Mister Bug opened the poncho so Silhouette’s head and neck were free. She snarled at him. “You’ll pay for this.” she growled.

Mister Bug smirked, yanking her necklace off of her neck. “Check please!” he quipped.

An akuma fluttered out of the broken necklace. He quickly caught it with his yo-yo and purified it, letting a pure white butterfly fly away. “Bye bye, little butterfly.” he murmured.

He pulled the poncho off of the now de-akumatized woman and quickly flung it up into the air. “Miraculous Mister Bug!”

All of the shades were restored to their normal selves and returned to the ground. The broken bits of mask that littered the roofs disappeared. The necklace mended itself.

Mister Bug turned to the woman who used to be Silhouette. “Are you alright?” he asked, helping her onto her feet.

“I… think so,” she replied. “I-I’m fine. I just got angry. I’ve calmed down now.”

“What happened?” Mister Bug asked.

The woman sighed. “I was denied the role I was auditioning for. It’s alright, though. It’s not the end of the world.”

Mister Bug smiled. “I’m glad you’re feeling better.”

The woman also smiled. “Thank you for your help, young man. I’ll take myself home.”

As the woman walked off, Mister Bug suddenly remembered Ladybug and Firebird. He turned to see two red-clad figures standing in the crowd, their faces and bodies hidden from sight. He ran over to both of them. The earrings beeped once.

“Ladybug! Firebird! I’m glad you’re alright!” Mister Bug exclaimed.

“What… happened?” Ladybug’s voice asked.

“Silhouette turned you into shades and stole your Miraculous,” Mister Bug explained. “I managed to steal them back. Here’s yours, Firebird.”

Mister Bug held the necklace out to the two figures. One of them reached out a pale hand and took it. After a few moments of shifting around, Firebird spoke up. “Thanks, uh… dude,” she murmured. “Iraa, flame on!”

A moment later, Firebird tossed the poncho off of herself. “Ah, back to normal!” she sighed in relief.

Mister Bug turned to Ladybug. “I’m going to hide so I can take of the earrings and change into Chat Noir. Then I’ll give you your Miraculous back.”

Ladybug shook her head. “If you de-transform, the Lucky Charm will go away! You’ll know my identity!”

“Right,” Mister Bug replied. “Alright, we’ll go, uh, hide in that alley over there. You sit on one side of a dumpster, I’ll sit on the other. Then Tikki will bring the earrings to you.”

Ladybug nodded and began running towards the alley. Mister Bug followed her. They sat on opposite sides of the dumpster. “Spots off.” Mister Bug murmured, turning back into Adrien.

He handed the earrings to Tikki. “Here you go,” he whispered. “Ladybug’s on the other side of this dumpster.”

Tikki nodded. “Thanks, Chat Noir!” she whispered, flying over the dumpster.

As Tikki disappeared, Adrien slid his ring back on. “Plagg, claws out!” he yelled.

A moment later, Chat Noir could hear Ladybug yell: “Tikki, spots on!”

Chat jumped over the dumpster, coming face to face with Ladybug. “Thank you for fighting the villain today, kitty. I knew I could count on you.”

Chat Noir smiled. “It was no problem, m’lady.”

Ladybug fondly smiled. “It must not have been easy, fighting a villain all by yourself. If you want, I can patrol with Firebird tonight, so you can rest.”

Chat folded his arms. “I’ll be fine. You know I don’t like to slack off.”

Ladybug patted his shoulder. “Are you sure? I don’t want you to overwork yourself.”

Chat scoffed. “I’ll be alright. I got nine lives, remember? Plus, I don’t have to patrol tomorrow, so I can rest then.”

Ladybug smushed her hand into his face. “Honestly, your puns will be the end of my life!”

Chat laughed. “Hey, I think I’ve been going easy on the puns! I’m very serious!”

Ladybug giggled. “I don’t think ‘serious’ and ‘Chat Noir’ belong together.”

“But ‘Ladybug’ and ‘Chat Noir’ do.” he replied.

Ladybug affectionately shoved him away. “Come on, don’t do that!” she laughed. “You already know…”

“... That you’re in love with someone else, yeah, I know.” Chat replied, without a trace of bitterness in his voice.

Her rejections always stung his heart, but the ache was less painful than the first few times that he’d heard them. Even though he’d been turned down time after time, changing targets hadn't worked well for him either.

The pair jumped out of the alley, landing on a nearby rooftop. “Well, it’s close enough to nighttime,” Chat pondered, glancing at the sky. “I think I’ll collect Firebird and go on patrol.”

Ladybug held out her fist. Chat bumped his own fist against hers. “Pound it!” both heroes exclaimed.

While Ladybug swung off, Chat Noir jumped into the street beside Firebird. She turned to face him. “What’s up?” she asked.

Chat grinned. “Do you want to do patrol now? It’s late enough.”

Firebird’s eyes flicked up to the sky before landing back on him. “Sounds good. You go north, I go south, and…” she pointed to a nearby rooftop. “We meet up on that rooftop after we’re done.”

Chat nodded. “Alright,” Firebird chirped. “See ya later.”

~-~-~-

Patrol passed by fairly quickly. Paris, as usual, was quiet. Maybe too quiet. Not that Chat was complaining. It made his job much easier and quicker, giving him time to relax and think.

Chat Noir was thinking about Firebird. He was glad that she was his friend. She was just enjoyable to be around. She was serious, but also fun. She wasn’t a dazzling angel like Ladybug was, but her easy-going nature was quite endearing. She was also a good listener.

Firebird knew almost everything about his life, or as much as he could tell her without revealing his identity. She knew about all the struggles he went through: about his tough home life, about his tough love life, and about his tough hero life. She always had nothing but kind (and occasionally funny) words for him.

But there were times when her cheerful, fun mask would crack, just like the mask her shade had worn. There were moments when she was sad and vulnerable, where her usual cheer disappeared. Chat found himself wondering if she was just pretending to be happy, like he sometimes did.

Every time Chat asked Firebird about her life, she would always deflect the question. She would always chuckle and say something along the lines of “You don’t want to hear my boring stories.”, before quickly changing the subject. She would then plaster a smile on her face, but it never reached her eyes.

Chat Noir had seen people give enough flimsy excuses to know when someone was lying. He had forced enough fake smiles onto his face to recognize one.

If his guesses were right, her past was quite eventful, and she wouldn’t talk about it for some reason. However, that reason was a mystery, as unknown to him as the past she kept hidden or the faint scars that peeked out of the collar of her costume

Chat had given up on asking Firebird anything. Like Ladybug had said, she would begin to open up. She just needed time.

Firebird landed on the roof behind Chat, shaking him out of his thoughts. “Everything’s good,” she muttered. “Paris was quieter than my love life tonight.”

She walked up to the edge of the roof and sat down, her legs dangling over the edge. “Yeah, patrol was quiet for me too.” Chat murmured.

The pair sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Firebird spoke up. “So, what was one of the more memorable akumas that you’ve fought?” she asked, lazily kicking her legs.

Chat stayed silent, thinking. He had fought a lot of villains alongside Ladybug. His mind finally landed on an option. “I think… Dark Cupid. He was memorable for a lot of reasons.”

Firebird snickered. “What’d he do?”

“Well, first of all, he appeared on Valentine’s day,” Chat began. “He had these magical arrows that made whoever they hit hate everyone they loved.”

Firebird tilted her head to the side. “Did he get you?”

Chat nodded, the memory leaving a sour taste in his mouth. “Yeah, he got me. I don’t remember what happened next, but Ladybug filled me in later. According to her, we fought for a few minutes, then she removed Dark Cupid’s curse on me by, uh, kissing me.”

Firebird raised an eyebrow. “Did she now?”

“She did!” Chat insisted. “I mean, there were a few pictures and videos, so I’m pretty sure it happened.”

Firebird chuckled. “Whatever you say.”

Chat Noir smiled. “That was the first Valentine’s day that happened after I met Ladybug. I was planning on confessing my feelings to her, but I couldn’t do it. I’d even tried writing a poem to her!”

Firebird stood up, pacing a few feet away from the edge of the roof. Her sides shook with laughter. Chat Noir glared at her. “I-I’m sorry!” she finally wheezed out. “I-It’s not really that funny…”

She suddenly coughed, cutting her laughter short. “So, what was the poem? I would like to hear the verse of Chat Noir, the great poet, if he would be kind enough to indulge me.”

“I still remember it’s words even all these years later,” Chat replied, climbing to his feet. “Be prepared to hear my first ever poem to the beautiful Ladybug.”

“First?” Firebird asked, looking like she was trying not to laugh.

“Hey, don’t interrupt me!” Chat scowled. “Ahem. To Ladybug...

“Your hair’s as dark as night, Your pretty bluebell eyes. I wonder who you are beneath that strong disguise. Every day we see each other, I hope that you’ll be mine. Together, our love could be so true. Please, will you be my Valentine?”

Firebird stared at him for a moment before bursting into laughter. Chat Noir glared at her as she hunched over, hitting her hand against her thigh. “Hey, I think my poetry is very moving.” he muttered.

“Yeah, bowel moving.” Firebird replied, snickering.

Chat Noir sputtered. “What? No!”

He marched up to her, a frown forming over his face. He snatched her boomerang off of her belt and flung it away, watching it disappear over the horizon. Firebird incredulously stared at him. “Really?” she muttered.

Chat Noir stepped back from her, feeling triumphant. “That’ll teach you to disrespect my poetry!” he crowed.

Firebird grinned. “Yeah, real effective. I’ve learned my lesson. I’ll never talk bad about your poetry again.” she replied, thick sarcasm in her voice.

Chat Noir frowned. “Why are you grinning like that?”

Firebird sighed. “What do boomerangs do, Chat Noir?”

Chat Noir had a moment to ponder her question before something slammed into the side of his head. He toppled over, his head throbbing with pain. Firebird dropped down beside him. “Chat Noir! Are you okay? I’m sorry, I didn’t think that it would hit you!”

Chat Noir sat up, gingerly rubbing his sore head. Firebird helped him onto his feet. “Here, let me help you!” she insisted. “Phoenix’s Rebirth!”

The pain in his head faded as the fire swirled around them. “Uh, thanks Firebird…” Chat muttered, lowering his hand.

Firebird sighed in relief. “That should fix whatever got hurt.”

Chat Noir placed his hands over his heart. “Even your powerful abilities can’t fix my hurt feelings.” he dramatically whispered.

Firebird paled, her face falling. “I hurt your feelings? I’m so sorry! Ugh, I knew it! I can’t ever be a good friend! I’ll just go now.” she sputtered, backing away.

“Hey, hey,” Chat Noir whispered. “I was just joking. You can dish it but you can’t take it, Blue Jay?”

Firebird weakly laughed. “Psh. I know! I was joking too! Haha! Got you!”

Chat frowned, once again not convinced by her terrible acting skills. He quickly schooled his face back into a smile. “Yeah, you got me!” he sheepishly replied.

Firebird’s necklace beeped, one of the feathers on it turning from red to grey. “Whoops! I better head home now!” Firebird exclaimed. “See you soon, Charcoal!”

Chat quickly waved at Firebird as she left. When he was sure he could no longer see her bright orange costume, he pulled out his baton. 

Suddenly, Chat realized that it had been a while since he had visited Marinette. He decided that he should probably pay her a visit. He quickly vaulted away, leaping off into the night.

~-~-~-

“You know, Tikki,” Marinette began. “I never asked you about Iraa. With everything that’s been going on, I’ve completely forgotten.”

Tikki weakly smiled. “What do you want to know about Iraa?”

Marinette shrugged. “As much as you can tell me.”

“Plagg and I created the whole universe. Everything that exists was a collaboration between my creative energies and Plagg’s destructive ones,” Tikki began. “I couldn’t have made half of what exists without Plagg!

“Although, when we were first making the universe, we didn’t know what we were doing. A lot of accidents happened. However, one of those accidents created something new.

“Iraa appeared, her body filled with both creative and destructive energies. The only reason she survived was that the energy was perfectly in balance. Although Iraa wasn’t as powerful as Plagg and I, she helped us finish the universe. Her weaker powers allowed her to fine-tune our creations, which reduced the accidents.

“Plagg always liked to say Iraa was his daughter. That is true, in a way, but it also isn’t true. Kwamis cannot mate, or produce offspring. Even if the energies of kwamis were combined together like Plagg’s and mine did, nothing would come of it.” Tikki finished.

Marinette frowned. “So, where did the rest of the kwamis come from?”

“The rest of the kwamis came into existence as the concepts they represented appeared in the universe. The first to appear after Iraa was the kwami of ideas, Reyya.”

“Reyya? Who’s that?” Marinette asked.

Tikki smiled. “Reyya is the bat kwami. His power is the power of imagination. When his power was activated, he could greatly improve the planning and thinking skills of his users. I have great respect for him.”

Marinette gently rubbed Tikki’s belly. “What do you think of Iraa, Tikki?”

Tikki giggled. “Sometimes she takes after Plagg too much for my tastes, but at least she didn’t inherit his cheese addiction. I care about her a lot. I’m very happy that Iraa has finally found another user!”

“Maybe I can set something up with Firebird so that you and Plagg can see Iraa again.” Marinette murmured to herself.

Tikki smiled. “I’d like that.”

A loud knock suddenly sounded from Marinette’s balcony trapdoor. “Hide, Tikki!” Marinette whispered, clambering towards the trapdoor.

Marinette pushed it open to see Chat Noir. He had his signature smirk on. He gave her a wink as she climbed up onto her balcony. “Howya doin’ Marinette?” he asked.

Marinette shrugged. “Can’t complain. Well, actually, there’s one thing I can complain about. I missed receiving visits from a certain stray.”

She flinched, hoping that she didn’t sound too flirtatious. She wasn’t supposed to have feelings for Chat Noir!

Chat laughed, his ~~golden~~ blonde hair flowing around as his head tilted back. His ~~emerald~~ green eyes shone. “I’m sorry!” he chuckled. “I wanted so badly to visit you, but I’ve been quite busy!”

Marinette smiled. “Really? Doing what?”

Chat shrugged. “Akumas, schoolwork, regular work, accidentally getting knocked out by civilians…”

Marinette frowned. “That last one was really specific. Are you okay?”

“Yeah,” Chat replied, giving her another one of his usual ~~charming~~ grins. “My head’s all good now, don’t worry.”

Marinette didn’t push the matter. Instead, she crawled back into her room. “Well, since you’re here, want to play some Ultimate Mecha Strike III?”

Chat leaped down after her. “Do you really need me to answer that? I think you already know.”

Marinette tossed a controller at him. He caught it with one hand.

The pair sat down in front of Marinette’s computer. She quickly opened up the game, eagerly perching on the edge of her seat. She hoped that some of the time he’d been away, Chat had practiced his Ultimate Mecha Strike III skills. She wanted beating him to be a little more challenging.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sooooo... what do you think?


	8. Lightmare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Things get worse, then more worse, then a little better for a certain orange-suited heroine.

It was a quiet night. The sky was inky black, with the stars faintly glowing. The moon was half full. A cool breeze blew through Paris, ruffling tree branches and rippling grass.

Adrien slept in his bed, occasionally shifting or turning. Plagg rested on the pillow, his small tail twitching against the back of Adrien’s head. The sound of their even breathing filled the room.

Suddenly, a loud buzzing rang out. Adrien jumped, his eyes wide going wide and his limbs getting tangled in his sheets. Plagg had slept through the whole thing.

Adrien groaned loudly. “Not another nighttime akuma!” he grumbled. “Plagg, claws out.”

Chat Noir crawled out of his bed, flopping across the floor. He groaned and hauled himself up onto his feet, tugging his blanket off of his body. He yawned and bounded out of his window. The cool night air began to fully wake Chat up.

After a few minutes of jumping over Paris, Chat finally spotted the villain. The villain was wearing a navy blue robe with sleeves that dragged on the ground. The material covered up his entire body, so that only his head was showing. His skin was pale blue and his eyes were burning gold. He was holding a staff with a lightbulb on top.

“Alright,” Chat grumbled, rubbing at his eyes. “What’s the deal with this guy?”

Chat dove onto the street, landing on his feet in front of the villain. He held his baton out in front of him. “What am I facing tonight?” Chat asked, rolling his eyes.

“I am Lightmare!” the villain growled. “And I have the power to make your worst dreams come to life!”

“Really?” Chat asked. “This is literally Sandboy all over again!”

“I take offense to that!” Lightmare roared. “I am quite unique!”

He pointed his staff at Chat Noir. Before he could fire it, a yo-yo wrapped itself around Chat's waist and a boomerang wrapped itself around Lightmare’s wrist. Chat was pulled onto a roof. Ladybug caught him, causing them both to tumble across the roof together.

Chat landed on top of Ladybug, accidentally pinning her to the roof. “Sorry.” he sheepishly muttered, climbing off of her while hoping that his face wasn’t red.

Ladybug leaped to her feet. The two heroes raced to the edge of the rooftop. Firebird was standing in the road, her boomerang string tangled around a few trees. Every time she pulled the string, Lightmare’s arm smacked into his face. Chat Noir resisted the urge to laugh. He found it funny that Firebird was down on the ground, using her boomerang to enact a ‘why-are-you-hitting-yourself’ scene with Lightmare.

Chat coughed as he looked over the scene. “He has the exact same powers as Sandboy.” he commented.

“What?” Ladybug responded, her face lowering into a frown. “Hawkmoth could at least be a little more creative with his villains!”

“Wait, you fought this guy before?” Firebird called, glancing over at them from her place in the road.

“Well, not this particular villain,” Ladybug replied. “But Sandboy had the exact same powers. He could bring nightmares to life, too.”

“Wow, Hawkmoth must be feeling really uninspired today.” Firebird commented.

“Yeah,” Chat Noir muttered. “*cough cough* Sandboy. *cough cough*”

Firebird caught her boomerang. “His name is so uninspired. ‘Lightmare’, what kinda uncreative garbage is that?”

“Right!” Chat Noir replied. “Even his costume is tacky!”

“Not to mention, he is way weaker than Sandboy!” Ladybug yelled. “Sandboy could fly, at least!”

Lightmare mirthlessly grinned, showing off razor-sharp fangs. “I don’t need to fly!” he roared. “I can destroy people’s dreams from the ground!”

He slammed his staff into the ground, causing cracks to form. Bright light shone from the cracks. Chat gaped as the cracks continued to spread across the ground. “That’s new.” he murmured.

The cracks continued to spread, snaking through streets and climbing up buildings. The light that poured from the cracks grew brighter and brighter, illuminating the entire area. “Ah, I see why he is called _Light_ -mare.” Firebird yelled, landing on the roof beside Chat Noir.

A crack suddenly appeared under Firebird’s feet. As the light washed over her, it turned from white to dark purple. Firebird paled. “Uh oh.” she whispered.

In a flash of white light, a young man with light brown skin, dirty blonde hair, and shining golden eyes appeared beside Firebird. He was wearing a yellow bodysuit with gold armor plates on his shoulders, hands, and abdomen. He was wearing a white belt and holding a knife with a scorpion tail-shaped blade. His mask was gold with white around the edges. 

His eyes flickered about before landing on Firebird. Instantly, his expression turned angry. "There you are!" he spat. "Did you really think that you could escape your mistakes so easily?"

Firebird backed away, her arms protectively raised. "I tried to make things work, Scorpion! What happened wasn't-"

Scorpion cut her off, grabbing her arm with his free hand. Chat prepared to move in, but before he could, Scorpion growled. "Don't you dare say that this wasn't your fault! It was _entirely your fault_!" he snarled.

Firebird tried pulling out of Scorpion's grip, but he was too strong. He slowly raised his knife, pointing it at Firebird. Ladybug and Chat Noir advanced towards him, their weapons at the ready. Scorpion turned towards them, a disdainful expression on his face. "How can you work with her?" he asked, his voice full of venom. "How can you even look at her?"

Firebird growled, trying to pull her hand away. Scorpion turned back to her. "They don't know, do they?" he asked.

Firebird’s face fell. Scorpion grinned. “Of course they don’t,” he growled. “You’re so _pathetic_ that you would lie to your… teammates.”

Chat Noir's baton struck the back of his head. He whipped around, his eyes blazing with anger. He advanced towards Chat, dragging Firebird with him. "If you knew the truth, you would not be so quick to defend her," Scorpion muttered. "I will tell you why you should never trust Bon-"

Firebird slapped her free hand over his mouth, muffling his words. She glared at Scorpion with a fury that Chat had never seen before. “Shut up, Scorpion.” Firebird hissed.

Scorpion tried pulling away from Firebird’s hand, but she kept it in place. "W-We can't let him talk," Firebird muttered, gulping. “What h-he’ll say… I-I d-don’t… I can’t…”

Chat stared at his teammate. Scorpion was holding her arm tightly: it had to be hurting her. Not to mention, he was also likely to share something deeply personal that Firebird didn’t want brought to the light yet. Chat Noir steeled his resolve. Scorpion needed to be silenced. "Cataclysm." Chat muttered.

The black energy swirled around his hand as he hovered it over Scorpion's chest. The thought of killing someone, even the twisted, nightmarish version of a person, made his stomach turn. He didn't want to do it, but he had to get rid of Scorpion, for Firebird’s sake. 

He pressed his hand to Scorpion's chest, watching as black crept up his body. Firebird stepped away as Scorpion turned into black dust, settling into a pile on the roof. Chat shuddered. He didn’t like the idea of being able to kill anyone so easily. All it took was a touch, and he could turn a living human being into a pile of ashes. Chat gulped as a slight breeze blew the dust away.

~-~-~-

Ladybug watched Lightmare as he continued rampaging through the streets. The battle was not going well. She couldn't get any closer to him, not while the ground was full of cracks. Chat Noir had left the battle to recharge, and Firebird was unresponsive. She just stood on the roof, staring at the cracks as they slowly advanced.

Ladybug figured that she needed some luck to get out of this situation. "Lucky Charm!" she exclaimed.

A tarp fell out of the sky and landed in her hands. She gave it an appraising look. “Now, what do I do with you?” she asked.

She glanced down at Lightmare. He was still surrounded with a web of cracks. White light shone all around him.

Ladybug glanced at the tarp she was holding before glancing back at Lightmare. “Of course!” she exclaimed.

Ladybug marched over to Firebird. “I have a plan to take down Lightmare, but I need your help.”

Firebird glanced up at Ladybug. “What is it?” she quietly asked.

Ladybug held up the tarp. “We need to throw this over the ground. It’ll cover up the cracks so he can’t bring any more of our nightmares to life”

Firebird shrugged. “Okay.”

Both heroines took a side of the tarp. They nodded at each other before charging across the roof. They leaped off.

The tarp draped across the ground, covering up the cracks. Ladybug and Firebird marched across the slightly wrinkled tarp towards Lightmare. The villain in question was busy shooting bursts of light at random civilians who had somehow not evacuated the area already. He didn’t even notice Ladybug and Firebird as they strolled up to him.

They stopped right behind Lightmare. Firebird smirked and wrapped her arm over his shoulder. “Heeeeeyyyy,” Firebird called. “I _really_ liked it when you brought me a vision of Scorpion. You know, it’s _great_ that you just shoved all the _bad memories_ in my face.”

Lightmare confusedly squinted at Firebird. She grinned at him, but her smile was more than a little deranged. “You know, it’s just like they say, one bad turn deserves another,” Firebird continued. “Phoenix’s Rebirth.”

Lightmare screamed as his body caught fire. Firebird hugged the villain, her maniacal smile still on her face. Ladybug found herself more than a little disturbed by Firebird’s current behavior.

Firebird chuckled, her unhinged facial expression not shifting a bit. She plucked Lightmare’s staff out of his charred hand and tossed it to Ladybug. “Here ya go!” she called. “Enjoy!”

Ladybug nervously caught the staff and broke it over her knee. She quickly captured the akuma, while Firebird began to crazily giggle while standing over Lightmare. Ladybug nervously released the white butterfly and picked up the tarp. “Miraculous Ladybug?” she whispered fearfully.

The swarm of magical ladybugs repaired the cracked buildings and ground and dissolved every representation of an unlucky civilian’s nightmares. Firebird even stopped her increasingly hysterical laughter.

The formerly charred remains of Lightmare transformed into an unharmed little boy. He held a night light shaped like a lightbulb in his hands. Ladybug settled down besides him. “What happened to you?” she asked.

He rubbed at his eyes. “I had a nightmare!” he squeaked. “I dreamed that all of our heroes became villains and tried to hurt everyone!”

Ladybug helped the boy up to his feet. “That does sound like a horrific nightmare. Luckily, it was just a nightmare. Everything’s fine. We’re still good guys.”

At that moment, a man ran out of the crowd. “There you are!” he exclaimed, sighing in relief. “I was so worried about you!”

The boy hugged the man. “I’m fine, Dad.”

“Thank you, Ladybug, for saving him. I’ll take him home now.” The man murmured. 

“No problem.” Ladybug replied.

The crowd quickly dispersed. Soon, the only people who were left were Ladybug and Firebird. The latter of the pair had long since stopped her unhinged laughter and was now standing on a curb, looking a bit pensive.

Ladybug walked up to Firebird and rested her hand on her shoulder. "Are you okay?" Ladybug asked.

Firebird chuckled, but her smile didn’t reach her eyes. “Of course! Why wouldn’t I be?”

“You seemed… off during the battle earlier.” Ladybug murmured.

Firebird’s smile didn’t shift, though luckily, it seemed sane. “It doesn’t matter. You’ve got enough enough on your plate already: you don’t need to worry about me!”

Ladybug placed her other hand on Firebird’s other shoulder. “Firebird,” Ladybug said in a stern tone. “I see you as a friend, and as one of your friends, I want, no _need_ , to know if you’re alright.”

Firebird stayed silent for a moment before a tear trickled out of her eye. She wiped it away. “I told you, I’m al-”

Her voice died. Firebird cleared her throat. “I said, I’m alri-”

Firebird frowned. “I’m just fi-”

There was a moment of silence. “Why can’t I finish any of my sentences?” Firebird asked. “I’m just trying to say that I’m alri-”

Ladybug squeezed Firebird’s shoulders. “You can’t finish your sentences because you aren’t alright, Firebird,” she whispered. “It’s okay, you don’t have to hold it in. You’re allowed to be upset. I’ll keep any akumas away.”

Firebird smiled. Tears began dripping out of her eyes, pouring down her cheeks. She began to sniffle, but her smile didn’t fall. “I don’t know why I’m crying.” Firebird whispered.

Ladybug sat down on the sidewalk, pulling Firebird with her. “You’re crying because you’re upset, Firebird,” Ladybug murmured. “Do you want to talk about it?”

Firebird blinked tears out of her bloodshot eyes. She sniffled. “Scorpion was… he was my old crime-fighting partner. He never liked me, and he was r-right to...”

Firebird curled into herself, her forehead planted onto her knees. “You and Chat… you guys are amazing. You both trust me, care about me, are honest with me… but I haven’t been fully honest with either one of you.”

Firebird sighed. “You two deserve to know the truth about me. I don’t want to lie to you,” she whispered. “But I’m scared. I’m scared that you will leave me, once you’ve learned everything. I’ve spent so much time alone, I just c-an’t-”

An akuma appeared and began to make its way over to her, flapping its wings.. Ladybug quickly swiped it out of the air with her yo-yo. Firebird wiped at her eyes. “I don’t want to be selfish, but I’m tired of having no one to lean on. I h-had a friend, but she… but she…”

Firebird took a deep breath. “My past is a big box to unpack, and I can’t bring myself to open it just yet. I promise that I’ll come clean one day, if… if you’ll promise to still be my friend, no matter what. I-Is that alright with you?”

Ladybug pulled Firebird into a hug. “Of course!” Ladybug exclaimed. “No matter what you’ve gone through, you’re still a good person and a true hero. I won’t force you to talk about things until you’re ready.”

Firebird weakly smiled. “Thank you.”

After a few moments, Firebird stood up. “I gotta head home now. Thanks for cheerin’ me up!”

“Good night.” Ladybug called as her friend disappeared over the horizon.

Ladybug turned her gaze to the night sky. As uninspired as Lightmare was, his power still had been used to devastating effect. Whoever Scorpion was, Firebird obviously had some amount of fear towards his presence. So much, in fact, that it drove her a little insane. Ladybug couldn’t blame her. After all, the power did prey on their largest fears. 

Ladybug knew exactly what would have happened if Lightmare had hit her instead.

Her friendship with Chat Noir would have been broken.

Chat was Ladybug’s closest friend. She trusted him more than even Alya. Whenever he was controlled by an akuma, it always hurt her to see him being manipulated like that. What would hurt the most, however, was if he abandoned their friendship. That was her greatest fear.

It had almost happened once. It had been a short time after the Miracle Queen incident. For some reason, tensions began building up between the two heroes, causing arguments and strife instead of teamwork and friendship. All of it boiled over on the day that Lila’s lies had been exposed, and the day that Lila had been akumatized for the final time.

Neither Ladybug or Chat Noir had spent much time focusing on the actual akuma at first, they’d been at each other’s throats. In fact, Hawkmoth might have succeeded in taking their Miraculous or their team would probably have been irreparably damaged if it weren’t for the intervention of Panther.

Ladybug sometimes found herself intrigued by Panther. Even though she hadn’t been the most talented with words, she’d managed to smooth over a lot of the hard feelings between Ladybug and Chat Noir. The three of them had not only won the battle, but the mended relationship between Ladybug and Chat Noir continued to endure through every single akuma that Hawkmoth sent out.

As for Panther, she’d disappeared as suddenly as she had appeared, but she wasn’t forgotten. Ladybug had tried to ask Bunnyx about Panther, but the rabbit-themed heroine had just given her a mysterious smile. Ladybug supposed that she would either know in time, or she would never know. Bunnyx kept other secrets, after all.

Ladybug swung home as fast as she could. She wanted to get back home and back to sleep as soon as possible. She hoped that these nighttime akumas would not become a regular thing. Her transformation fell away as she clambered into her room. Tikki tumbled onto the bed as Marinette closed her trapdoor. “What a night, Tikki!” Marinette exclaimed.

The kwami shuddered. “I know!”

Marinette pulled her blankets up to her chin. “I’m really tired! I wish that I didn't have school tomorrow!”

Tikki settled down on Marinette’s pillow. “Good night, Marinette!”

“Good night, Tikki.”

~-~-~-

Only when she was alone could she truly be free. Only when she was alone could she let her tears fall. When she was alone, she didn’t have to worry about anyone’s ill-placed concern.

Sure, the fact that people were concerned for her safety was nice. It was reassuring to know that she had friends she could lean on. But their lives were separate from her own. They had their own concerns, their own problems. They didn’t need to waste time worrying about her.

There was no need.

Firebird leaned against the chimney, sobbing and gasping. She hiccupped as tears dripped onto her costume. Her feathers darkened wherever her tears fell.

How easy it was for her to lie and feign happiness. How simple it was to fake a smile. How quick it was for her to pretend that she wasn’t suffering every second of her life.

Oh, how she wished she could be honest. She wanted to let them in, let her new friends see her true self.

But no one liked her true self. Firebird didn’t even like her true self. She wasn’t even sure if it still existed. She didn’t even know what her true self was anymore.

Firebird snorted, preventing the snot from dripping out of her nose. She didn’t have any tissues with her, and she was not about to start wiping her nose on her sleeves. It would be yet another nail in her pathetic coffin, and Firebird was tired of picking up the hammer. She had more than enough nails.

“Hey there!”

Firebird jumped as she heard the loud, cheerful voice. She slid down the roof, nearly falling off. She hastily rubbed her tears away before facing the person who had surprised her.

Chat Noir perched on top of the chimney, his mood as bright as always. Firebird glared at him. “A little warning would be nice.” she grumbled.

Firebird envied him. He suffered so much more than she ever had, yet he always seemed to be genuinely happy. She wanted to ask him what his secret was, but then he would notice that something was wrong.

Firebird realized that Chat had been talking. She quickly focused on his words, trying to seem like she hadn’t just zoned out. Fortunately, Chat Noir hadn’t seemed to notice her lapse in concentration.

Oh, how she wished that her friendship with him wasn’t just a lie. She longed to tell him the truth right then and there. If he turned his back on her, well, it wouldn’t have been the first time. The sting would hurt a little more, though. She admitted that his friendship was very precious to her.

Ever since she had lost Cecilia, no one had wanted to befriend her.

_But then, why would they?_

All too soon, Chat said that he had to head to his house. He made sure to fist-bump her before leaving. When he departed, the usual emptiness inside of her didn’t return, for once.

Firebird slowly crawled back to the chimney and leaned against it once more. But instead of more tears, a smile spread across her face. And for once, it felt genuine, real.

It felt happy.

_Huh, that’s new. I’m actually happy right now._

_I like it._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If you can't tell, I love the beautiful friendship formed between Firebird and Chat Noir. I want these poor babies to be happy.


	9. Birdcage

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is bad but also kinda necessary.

It had been yet another successful akuma battle. Honestly, Firebird was confused as to why Hawkmoth hadn’t just given up yet. He was obviously throwing out every card (no matter how weak) he had, but he always came up empty. Firebird would have given up had she been in his place.

Firebird shared a usual fist-bump with her teammates before preparing to head home. Luckily, the akuma had appeared right at the end of the day, so she didn’t have to go back to her classes.

As Firebird threw her boomerang to swing away, she tripped over her own feet and ended up kissing the ground. Her boomerang suddenly started pulling on the wire, dragging her across the ground.

Firebird soon managed to land on a roof and right herself, but the damage had already been done. People in the streets were laughing and holding up their phones. Firebird sighed as her necklace beeped. She continued swinging home.

As if her bad luck couldn’t get any worse, her transformation ended up disappearing mid-swing and she smashed into a wall, falling about ten feet, right into a dumpster.

Vanessa limped away from the dumpster, covered in slimy, stinky trash. Her entire body ached and stung. She had a few scratches on her, and they hurt so bad that they burned. All Iraa could do was give Vanessa a sympathetic look before sliding into the pocket of Vanessa’s now foul-smelling hoodie. “Fuck my life.” Vanessa groaned.

Vanessa’s terrible luck had still not run out yet. When her transformation had run out, she was still a few blocks away from her apartment complex. So now, Vanessa had to trudge home, on top of her increasingly bad odor and immense pain. If her situation got any worse, she would cry.

Fortunately, the universe seemed to decide that she’d suffered enough. She hadn’t seen anyone she knew as she made the walk of shame to her house, and everything that had been in her pockets was still there, including her keys. Vanessa slumped into her apartment, immediately heading into the bathroom for a shower.

Ten minutes later, Vanessa walked out of the bathroom. She was wearing a sky blue t-shirt and black leggings. She slumped down on the couch, her wet hair dripping onto her shirt.

A loud sigh escaped Vanessa’s lips. The sound filled the room. Iraa glanced over at her holder. “You alright, Nessa?” the kwami asked.

Vanessa clutched the sides of her head. “I can’t do this anymore!” she whimpered. 

Iraa landed on Vanessa’s shoulder. “What’s wrong?” she asked.

Vanessa held her head in her hands. “Everything’s starting to fall apart again! I have to get out of here without arousing suspicion, before it’s too late,” she muttered. “I have to enact Plan F!”

“NO!” Iraa yelled, jumping in front of Vanessa’s face. “You are NOT doing that!”

“Why not?” Vanessa replied. “Nobody will miss me!”

“NO! People WILL miss you!” Iraa shot back. “I know how smart you are, Nessa! Do you really think that no one will be upset if they think you’re dead?”

Vanessa paused for a moment. “Uh, no?” she hesitantly answered.

Iraa sighed. “What about Ladybug and Chat Noir?”

“They have each other, they won’t miss me.” Vanessa replied.

Iraa’s beak dropped open. “Y-You can’t be serious, Nessa!” she stammered. “They both care about you a lot! They’re YOUR friends!”

A sad half-smile crossed Vanessa’s face. “For now, anyways,” she whispered. “But they’ll leave me, just like everyone else did.”

“Ladybug and Chat Noir are not like everyone else,” Iraa replied, her voice even. “You, of all people, should know that.”

Vanessa blinked. “You’re right, Iraa.”

“Thank you,” Iraa replied. “I know you’ve been hurt before, Nessa, but if you decided to fake your own death again, it wouldn’t help you at all. The Guardians chose YOU to help Ladybug and Chat Noir. Plus, I don’t want to leave without seeing Plagg and Tikki again.”

Vanessa sighed. “I’m sorry, Iraa.”

“You don’t need to be sorry,” the kwami replied, patting Vanessa’s cheek. “But the way you push away people isn’t healthy. You don’t need to keep all of your friends at arm length. You think it’ll keep you safe but it’s just hurting you more.”

Vanessa sat silently for a moment, pondering Iraa’s words. She finally released a huge sigh, scratching at her arms. “Maybe I can try to open up one more time,” Vanessa whispered. “It’s not too late.”

“That’s the spirit!” Iraa cheered.

“Iraa, flame on!” Vanessa yelled.

Firebird bounded over Paris, her eyes alight with determination. Iraa’s words had strengthened her, making her feel more  _ alive  _ than she had in so long. She felt really aware of every sound, smell, and sensation around her.

Tonight was Ladybug and Chat Noir’s night to patrol, but Firebird didn’t want to rest. She was ready to finally tell them everything. They deserved to know who she was. Well, as much as she could tell them without revealing her identity.

But first, she had to find them.

After a few minutes of searching, Firebird saw a familiar feline perching in a tree. She quietly snuck into the tree, crawling up behind him. She reached out and poked him on the back of his neck.

Chat Noir turned around. “What are you doing here?” he asked. “It’s your night to rest.”

Firebird meshed her hands together. “I have something important to tell both you and Ladybug,” she mumbled, feeling her confidence start to weaken. “And no, it can’t wait.”

He looked concerned. “Alright,” he replied. “I’ll call Ladybug, okay?”

Firebird nodded and dropped out of the tree. While Chat made his call, Firebird paced along the base of the tree. Part of her mind was trying to convince her to back out, but she refused to listen. She’d already told them that she had something to tell them, she was just going to start digging her grave if she decided to change her mind.

After what felt like an eternity of waiting, Ladybug swung in, an expression of concern mirroring Chat’s on her face. “What is it, Firebird?” Ladybug asked.

Firebird cleared her throat. “Well, you know how my past is kind of… um, secret?”

Ladybug nodded. Firebird wrung her hands. “Well, I’m going to… well, make it  _ not  _ a secret anymore.”

“Go ahead.” Chat whispered.

Firebird hugged herself. “Um, where do I begin…? Um, well, before coming here, I was a hero. But, I had a different name, a different costume…”

She remembered the first time she’d transformed, when she’d chosen her hero name. Her throat burned, as if thinking about saying her old title offended it. She decided to keep it to herself for now.

Firebird laughed bitterly before continuing. “I had a partner, but you already know who he is. The reason  _ he’s  _ my biggest nightmare is…”

A loud crash cut her off. Firebird whirled around. “That better not be another akuma,” she grumbled. “We literally  _ just  _ fought one.”

A figure appeared on a nearby rooftop, a cloud of dust churning around them. The three heroes pulled out their respective weapons and opened them up, zooming in on the figure.

The new arrival was a young man with a three-piece suit made out of a shiny gold substance. He had a collar around his neck that looked like a padlock. Strange golden wires hung off of his arms and chest. His face was covered with a gold mask that looked like a bird’s face. A pair of emerald green eyes blinked as the villain glanced around.

The villain’s eyes suddenly landed on the heroes standing below him. He leaped off of the roof, pirouetting through the sky. He landed in front of Firebird with a bow and a flourish.

“Uh… who are you?” Firebird asked.

“I am Birdcage,” the person announced. “And I am here because I’m tired of loving you in silence, Firebird. Come, dance with me, and I will show you my heart.”

Firebird stiffened up. No one had ever confessed love to her before, so she didn’t know what to do. It sucked that Firebird’s first love confession came from a probably akumatized person,  and not from Chloe .

She realized that she’d been standing awkwardly silent for a few moments now.  _ Quick, salvage the conversation and change the subject!  _ her mind screamed.  _ Don’t anger the akuma! _

So of course, her mouth blurted out one of the things that would not salvage the conversation. “Sorry, I’m a lesbian.”

Now, Firebird was proud that she was a lesbian. She saw no shame in it, and it was actually one of the few parts of herself she was happy with. However, Firebird knew that there were certain times and places that were the best for coming out of the closet.

Blurting it out in front of her two colleagues, plus an akumatized villain that had  _ literally confessed  _ _ his _ _ love to her not even five minutes ago  _ was not one of these times.

A bead of sweat dripped down Firebird’s forehead as she watched Birdcage jerk violently as if he’d been stabbed. “Crap, wrong thing to say.” Firebird murmured under her breath.

Birdcage suddenly lunged at Firebird. She was caught off guard and ended up pinned beneath him. She tried to crawl away, but the wires began to wrap themselves around her limbs or tangle into a web in front of her. She was snared, helpless to escape as the wires pulled at her. 

She was dimly aware of Ladybug and Chat Noir grabbing Birdcage, trying to drag him away from her. But it wasn’t enough. The wires formed themselves into a cage around her, the bars not buckling as she kicked at them. “Stop that.” Birdcage growled.

Firebird responded by slamming her foot into the bars of the cage again.

“I’m getting you out of there!” Chat Noir yelled. “Cataclysm!”

His claws reached out, trying to graze the bars of the cage. Birdcage jumped away. “Don’t do that!” he yelled. “You’re going to ruin my beautiful birdcage and the lovely bird kept inside of it!”

Firebird shuddered. “You’re weird. Like, really weird. Get help.”

Birdcage glared at her. “Quiet.”

Chat pounced on top of Birdcage, trying to touch the cage again. Birdcage whirled around, swinging the cage with him. Firebird bounced around the inside of the cage, wincing every time she hit the sides.

The cage doors suddenly opened. Firebird felt herself tumble out, her shoulder slamming right into Chat’s outstretched hand.

She fell to her knees, watching as a handprint of black burned itself into her suit before beginning to spread. She felt like she was a cloth doll, with the threads that held her together slowly being pulled out.

It hurt.

~-~-~-

Chat felt a stab of horror as he kneeled down in front of his friend. She was slowly being consumed by the cataclysm,  _ his  _ cataclysm. His ring beeped once. “F-Firebird! Are you alright?” Chat choked out.

Firebird glanced up at him. “I-I…” she whimpered. “I-It hurts…”

“I’m so sorry!” Chat Noir yelled, as his tears began blinding him.

“N-Not yo-your fault…” Firebird whispered. “A-Accidents… happen…”

Chat shook his head. “No, this is all my fault!” he growled. “If I’d just been a little more careful… you’d still… you’d still be…”

Firebird began coughing. Her sides violently jerked as blood spattered across the ground. The black continued to spread across her body. Small particles of dust were beginning to fall off of her. “It’s… okay…” she whispered. “Mistakes happen… I should know, I’ve made enough of ‘em.”

“What do you mean?” Chat Noir asked.

Firebird’s eyelids began to flutter. “I-I’m not the heroic hero you think I am,” she murmured. “I have m-many sins on m-my conscience....”

Chat held onto Firebird’s arms, gently shaking her. He wanted to say  _ something  _ to her, even if it was just another useless apology, but no words came to him. His ring beeped again. Firebird slowly reached out and tapped his chest. “Back… up…” she mumbled.

Chat Noir immediately obliged. Firebird coughed some more blood into her elbow. “Ph-Phoenix’s… R-Re… birth…” she croaked.

The flames that normally burst into life around her only flickered into being. The flames themselves were also paler and weaker. Luckily, the blight that was consuming her disappeared. 

As soon as she was fully healed, Firebird groaned and slumped over to the ground. The flames died out. Her necklace beeped.

“Are you okay?” Chat asked in a faint voice.

Firebird’s eyes closed. “I think I’ll have to sit this battle out,” she mumbled.

A loud crash sounded from behind Chat. He glanced over to see what was happening. 

Birdcage and Ladybug were fighting each other. Her yo-yo was wrapped around Birdcage’s body, pinning his arms to his sides. The wires that formed his birdcage were grabbing at Ladybug, trying to wrap themselves around her wrists and ankles. She was narrowly avoiding being captured.

Chat Noir was about to jump in and help when his ring beeped again. He backed away from Birdcage and gently picked up Firebird, slinging her over his left shoulder. She was surprisingly light. Her limbs and head swayed as he ran away from the battle.

They ended up on a roof a few blocks away from the battle. Chat’s ring was beeping frantically, telling him that he didn’t have much time left. He unceremoniously dumped Firebird against a chimney before scrambling to the other side. As soon as he had hidden himself, his transformation disappeared. Plagg tumbled out of the ring and landed on the roof.

Adrien immediately pulled a piece of camembert out of his pocket and handed it to Plagg. Without so much as a snarky comment, the kwami immediately shoved the entire chunk of cheese into his mouth and began chewing. “Hurry up,” Adrien whispered. “Ladybug needs my help.”

There was a flash of light on the other side of the chimney. Firebird (or the person under her mask) loudly groaned. “Iraa, can you get the jerky? I don’t think I can grab it myself.”

A second voice spoke up. “It’s fine, N-”

“Shh!” Firebird interrupted. “Chat Noir is on the other side of the chimney! He’ll hear you!”

“Chat Noir?” the second voice asked.

“Yes!” Firebird replied. “Wait, Iraa, what are you doing?”

Suddenly, a tiny orange blur hurtled over the chimney. “Iraa!” Plagg exclaimed.

“Plagg!” the other kwami replied.

The two kwamis met in a fierce hug. It lasted for several moments before the kwamis broke apart. The kwami who was Iraa excitedly twirled around. “Oh, it’s so good to see you again, Plagg! It’s been far too long!”

“Hm, I know,” Plagg calmly replied, trying to seem nonchalant. “Did those stuffy Guardians give you any grief?”

“Actually, no,” Iraa replied. “I haven’t been around the Guardians for almost two hundred fifty years.”

Plagg cocked his head to the side. “What happened?”

Iraa chuckled. “One of the Guardians went rogue. She stole the Miracle Box I was in and smuggled it to the thirteen colonies. Unfortunately, she was robbed not long after, losing all but two of the Miraculous, one of which was mine. The ones that were stolen all eventually were returned to the Guardians except for one. ”

“Really?” Adrien asked.

Iraa glanced over at Adrien. “Oh, I didn’t see you there! You must be Plagg’s new holder!”

Plagg settled on Adrien’s shoulder. “This kid is great!” Plagg boasted, puffing out his tiny chest. “He gives me all the cheese I want and he makes a halfway-decent Chat Noir. Although, he’s always mooning over Ladybug, which makes him annoying sometimes.”

“Hey!” Adrien objected.

Iraa laughed, her wings clutching at her tiny stomach. Adrien stuck out his lower lip and glared at her. Iraa took one look at his expression and began laughing harder. Adrien groaned. “Why are you laughing! It’s not funny!”

Plagg’s ears suddenly perked up. “You know what else isn’t funny? This kid got himself knocked out by a random civilian a few weeks ago!”

Iraa was laughing so hard that tears were appearing in her eyes. She flopped down onto the roof and began rolling around. Adrien buried his face in his hands, feeling his dignity begin to fall apart as Plagg continued rattling off more embarrassing stories to Iraa.

After a few more unbearable moments, Iraa settled down. “I’m sorry, Chat Noir!” she apologetically gasped, her sides still shaking with laughter.

Adrien crossed his arms. “I’ll forgive you if you tell me a few embarrassing stories about Firebird.”

Iraa’s expression grew incredibly grave. “Umm, let’s not talk about her,” Iraa replied, her voice dropping down to a whisper. “My hatchling’s had a very difficult time of it. I don’t want to spill her secrets unless she wants me to.”

Adrien looked down at his hands. “Oh.” he murmured.

Iraa flew over to him and gently patted his face. Adrien felt a comfortable warmth fill his body. The kwami smiled. “I know that she’s your friend,” she murmured kindly. “But, and Firebird might kill me for saying this, the entire concept of  _ friendship  _ is unfamiliar to her. She’s had, um, difficulties in the past. She doesn’t trust people that easily.”

Iraa wrapped her wings around Adrien’s hands. “But tonight was the closest I’ve ever seen of her getting out of her shell. I know  _ you _ think she doesn’t trust you, but I know her very well, and she definitely trusts you, at least a little bit.”

A loud groan sounded from the other side of the chimney. “Kill me now!” Firebird grumbled.

“Yikes!” Iraa yelped. “I think that that cataclysm is still doing a number on her. Go help Ladybug, I’ll look after Firebird.”

Adrien nodded. “Plagg, claws out!”

“I’ll see you soon!” Iraa called, waving as Plagg was sucked into the ring.

A moment later, Chat Noir bounded off into the night, his baton at the ready.

~-~-~-

She hoped that Chat Noir would return soon. It was difficult to hold off Birdcage on her own. He was clever, using the wires attached to his body to wiggle out of her yo-yo time and time again. She’d tried calling for her Lucky Charm two minutes ago, but she’d gotten a pack of hairpins.

Hairpins. What was she supposed to use hairpins for?

Everywhere she looked, she didn’t see anything that would help her form a plan.

She risked another glance around to see if there was something,  _ anything _ , that was useful. She didn’t see anything.

Birdcage caught her with a strong punch to her side. Ladybug tumbled across the roof, winded and gasping for breath. Her yo-yo clattered down beside her.

Birdcage strode towards Ladybug, his wires snaking around him. “Nowhere to run, no way to fight,” he called. “Just hand over your Miraculous, and I’ll go on my way.”

“Never.” Ladybug growled.

“I’ll just take them, then,” Birdcage replied, his wires snaking towards Ladybug.

“Cataclysm!”

Chat Noir slammed his hands down on the wires. The golden metal turned black and disintegrated into dust. Birdcage roared with rage. “I’ll get you for that!” he roared.

Chat cheekily grinned. “You and what powers?”

Birdcage growled. More wires began to sprout from his chest and back. “Oh,” Chat murmured. “Yeah, that’s not good.”

Ladybug climbed back up to her feet. “Now we’re both on a timer.” she murmured, pressing a hand to her ear.

“What’s your Lucky Charm?” Chat Noir asked.

“Hairpins,” Ladybug replied, her earrings beeping. “I have no idea what to do with them.”

“Can I see them?” Chat asked.

Ladybug pulled the pack of hairpins out of her yo-yo. She glanced at Chat. “I think I could figure out what to do with them if you can get Birdcage to keep still.”

“No problem, m’lady.”

Ladybug gaped as Chat threw himself at Birdcage. They ended up wrestling, with Chat pinning Birdcage to the roof while wires writhed around them.

Ladybug kneeled down beside the pair, swatting away any wires that came after her. Her eyes landed on the padlock around Birdcage’s neck. “Oh, I see.” she murmured.

Ladybug took a hairpin out of the pack and stuck it into the keyhole of the lock. Birdcage immediately began struggling harder. Ladybug fiddled with the hairpin, trying not to freak out as her earrings beeped for the fourth time.

The lock finally popped open, an akuma fluttering free. Ladybug quickly captured and purified it with her yo-yo. After releasing the white butterfly, she picked up the remaining hairpins. “Miraculous Ladybug!”

A wave of ladybugs swept over the area, repairing all the damage. The collar transformed into a regular padlock, and the villain turned back into a regular young man. He looked to be in his early teens, and he had fiery red hair and light blue eyes.

“Oh no. I was akumatized,” he murmured. “I’m so sorry for causing all of this trouble.”

“What’s your name?” Chat Noir asked.

“Oh, I’m Brandon.”

“Why were you akumatized in the first place?” Ladybug asked, handing Brandon his padlock.

“I had a celebrity crush on Firebird, which people always made fun of me for,” he replied sheepishly. “I was just about to head home today when a boy in my class called me a creep and a weirdo. I was just so mad… and then I woke up here.”

“Did you ever take your celebrity crush too far?” Ladybug asked curiously.

“No, I never did,” he admitted. “I knew that she was her own person and probably wouldn’t ever fall for me. I’m trying to move on and have normal relationships.”

“Good for you!” Firebird’s voice rang out.

Firebird strode across the roof. “Oh! Firebird! How long w-were you there for?” Brandon asked.   
“I heard the whole story,” Firebird replied. “And don’t worry, I’m not mad or anything. Nobody has control over their feelings.”

Brandon's eyes fell to his feet. “I’m sorry for whatever I did to you when I was akumatized.”

Firebird shrugged. “Eh, I’ve been through worse.”

Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s Miraculous both beeped. “Hey, Firebird, can you take Brandon home?” Ladybug asked.

“No problem.” Firebird replied.

Ladybug made her way home, hiding close to the bakery before de-transforming. Marinette strolled inside, waving at her parents before climbing up into her room. She collapsed into her bed, her eyes closing.  _ Ugh, two akumas in one day.  _ she thought.

Marinette pulled her blankets over her body, about to settle down for a quick nap. Suddenly, she remembered something that made her eyes open.

_ Didn’t Firebird have something to say to me and Chat Noir? _

~-~-~-

“Nessa…”

“No. Forget it, Iraa.” Vanessa murmured.

“Come on, you were so close tonight.” Iraa replied.

“Both of them are probably home already. Besides, they most likely don’t even want to know.” Vanessa grumbled.

“You can just call them or send them a message. Come on, Nessa.” Iraa pleaded.

Vanessa shook her head. “I don’t want to, Iraa. I don’t think I’m ready yet.”

“They’re going to ask about it.” Iraa warned.

Vanessa scoffed. “Yeah right. They probably don’t even remember that I wanted to say something to them.”

“Chat Noir does.” Iraa responded.

“So what? He’s got more important things to worry about than me.” Vanessa murmured.

“Maybe he does, maybe he doesn’t. Either way, he’s still worried about you.” Iraa shot back.

Vanessa couldn’t find a response to that. She stared at the ceiling of her bedroom for a while before pulling her blankets over her head.

Iraa sighed and settled down on a pillow. “Goodnight, Nessa.” she whispered.

“See ya in the morning, Iraa.”


	10. Civilian Life- An Interlude

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some of the civilian interactions between people that I really should have included in previous chapters. These all happen after the events of their corresponding chapters. Soooo... yeah.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry about the extra-long wait. This chapter took me a while to write, plus I’ve been having schoolwork and wifi problems. Hopefully, the next hiatus (if there is one) will have some notice.  
> Anyways, I realized that I have next to nothing about everyone’s civilian lives in my story sooo… I’m putting in some civilian interactions that I probably should have put in my actual chapters. There’s some hero stuff too, but not as much. These all happen after the main events of the chapters. Enjoy!

Painter- the next day, after school:

Today, the boys had decided to introduce themselves. Once again, Vanessa found herself surrounded by a large crowd of people who had introduced themselves way too quickly for her to remember their names. She remembered Adrien, because he had introduced himself on her first day.

“So, what are your interests dude?” a boy in a red hat asked.

“I really like sculpting,” Vanessa replied. “In fact, I’m going to make a statue of Ladybug and Chat Noir, now that I’m here.”

“Dude, that’s so cool!”

Vanessa shrugged. “It’s just a hobby.”

“Nino’s right, it is cool!” Adrien replied.

 _Okay, so the dude in the red hat is called Nino._ Vanessa thought. 

She grinned. “I’m not the best at sculpting people, but I just wanted to do my own bit to honor the heroes.”

“I’m sure that it will be great, Vanessa!” Adrien earnestly exclaimed.

Vanessa folded her arms. “I can’t promise great, but I’ll do my best.”

She spent a good chunk of the afternoon just hanging out with all the boys. They all introduced themselves again, though fortunately much slower the second time around.

Kim had challenged her to an arm wrestling competition, which lasted four rounds and ended in a tie. She and Nathaniel had a long conversation about art, and she met Marc, his boyfriend. Markov was truly fascinating, and Vanessa found herself having some respect for him, even though he was not very impressive to look at. Close to the end of the hangout, Vanessa heard that Max was an avid gamer and she (obviously) challenged him to a competition of Dragon Hunt 1. Adrien insisted that he wanted to compete too. The three traded phone numbers with a competitive glint in their eyes.

By the end of the afternoon, Vanessa was strolling home with a large smile on her face. Her entire class seemed so nice, though it seemed almost too good to be true.

She suddenly collided with someone, falling onto her back. She glanced up, seeing a somewhat familiar-looking blonde girl with light blue eyes. She was dressed nicely, with a yellow jacket over a black and white striped shirt with a jeweled belt and white jeans. A pair of sunglasses perched on top of her head. She was quite nice to look at.

Vanessa felt her cheeks heat up. “Sorry.” she murmured.

The girl raised a brow. She bent over and gripped Vanessa’s hand, pulling her to her feet. Before Vanessa could open her mouth, the girl dusted her off. When she was finished, she gave a small smile. “You’re that new girl, Vanessa Jones, right?” she asked.

Vanessa nodded nervously.

“I’m Chloe,” the girl replied. “Sorry for knocking you over, Jones.”

Vanessa suddenly felt very hot and sweaty all of the sudden. _It’s just embarrassment, it’s just embarrassment, it’s just embarrassment…_

“I-It’s fine!” Vanessa nervously sputtered out. “Thanks for… um, helping me up.”

“No problem.” Chloe replied somewhat stiffly.

Vanessa grinned, trying not to let her nervousness show. “Anyways, I gotta get going now. See you ‘round!”

“Bye.” Chloe murmured, watching Vanessa calmly walk off.

After a moment, Chloe turned and began walking to her own home. She felt an unusual flutter in her stomach, but she dismissed it. Nothing out of the ordinary was happening, not at all.

~-~-~-

Marinette rushed up to her bedroom, Alya close behind her.

Her bedroom was still as pink as always, with bolts of fabric and half-finished projects scattered about the place. Her walls were covered with pictures of her friends and herself hanging out, as well as pictures of inspiring pieces of clothing cut out of magazines. Now that Marinette was focusing on herself and her hobbies instead of Adrien, her room felt much more _her_ than it ever had been.

“So, Marinette,” Alya began, quivering with excitement. “I wanted to talk to you about that new hero, Firebird! I managed to capture some of the first footage of her for the Ladyblog!”

Marinette rolled her eyes.

“What?” Alya replied. “We have a new hero arrive in Paris from out of nowhere. Of course I would be excited!”

“Honestly, Alya,” Marinette murmured. “This isn’t the first time new heroes have appeared! There was Rena Rouge, Carapace, and so many others!”

“Yeah, but she’s different,” Alya replied. “I ran her voice through a voice analysing app, and she has an American accent.”

Marinette’s eyes bulged. “W-What?”

Alya smirked. “Yeah, that’s right. Firebird is from America! The app couldn’t trace where in America she came from, though.”

“I didn’t even know there were heroes in the U.S.” Marinette murmured.

“Yeah, there was a whole thing happening in New York City, but they kept it on the down-low,” Alya replied. “There was this villain, a bear-themed chick by the name of Bearon, and two heroes.”

“Who were the heroes?”

Alya sighed. “There’s not much information on either of them. I’ve been searching, but I haven’t even come up with names. All I know is that one of them died.”

Marinette whipped her head around to look at her friend. “What?”

Alya blinked. “One of the heroes is dead,” she repeated. “An anonymous civilian turned in evidence that they were murdered.”

Marinette felt a jolt of relief. “I wonder if there’s a connection between Firebird and either of these heroes.” she pondered.

Alya shrugged. “Possibly,” she replied. “There’s no descriptions of either hero’s appearance, but Firebird is from America, so it is possible.”

Marinette mulled that thought over for a few moments. It was odd that there wasn’t any information about the heroes at all. There were a lot of things that were not adding up.

Alya, meanwhile, had started excitedly bouncing around. “I can’t wait to interview Ladybug or Chat Noir about this! Or, even better, interview Firebird! This is a big scoop and I’m going to be the first to get it!”

Marinette sighed and flopped down on her chaise lounge. “Enough talk about superheroes!” she announced. “There’s more to life than that, Alya!”

“There is no such thing as enough talk about superheroes!” Alya replied. “A new hero shows up and you expect me not to talk about it?”

Marinette folded her arms. “Alya, you have a life outside of the Ladyblog! I don’t want you to spend your whole life chasing heroes!”

Alya grinned. “Oh, but I will. When I grow up, I’m going to become a reporter! So not only will I be chasing heroes around, but I’ll be paid for it too!”

Marinette chucked a pillow at her. Alya ducked. “Good throw, girl,” she called. “But just a little too slow!”

Marinette slowly reached behind herself and picked up another pillow. She leaped to her feet and threw it, this time it bounced off Alya’s chest. Marinette giggled.

Alya waggled a finger at Marinette. “You’ve been practicing, haven’t you?”

Marinette raised an eyebrow. “Maybe.”

Alya picked the pillow off of the ground. “Alright,” she began. “But is it enough?”

Before Marinette could move, Alya tossed the pillow right into her face. Marinette slowly lowered it, blinking mischievously at Alya. “It’s on.”

Marinette threw the pillow back at Alya, who stepped off to the side. The pillow was soon returning back to Marinette, who barely managed to roll out of the way in time. The room filled with their joyful giggles as they began their pillow fight in earnest.

Medusa- two days later, evening:

Tonight was Ladybug’s turn to patrol, accompanied by Chat Noir. The pair worked as they usually did, splitting up and heading two different directions. After patrol was over, they met at a random rooftop, just like always.

The familiarity of the routine was nice.

So was the company.

He was her other half, for better or for worse. He understood her so well, and he always, always knew how to make her laugh. He was so familiar and warm.

It wasn’t always like this, though. There was a time when their relationship had been sourer than expired milk. She didn’t like to dwell on it too much.

But there were good times to match the bad ones. There always were.

Ladybug never wanted to lose Chat Noir, not ever. The battle with Medusa had been terrifying, after all, Ladybug had been forced to see him turn to stone.

A statue was nothing like a person, not at all. It just looked like a person. A statue had no life, no energy, nothing.

Ladybug wanted to ask Chat Noir what it was like to be a statue, but she knew better. There was an unspoken rule between the two of them: don’t ask or talk about what happens when you or your partner is hit by an akuma.

It was sad that they had to do that, but they were burdened with enough already. There was only so much they could take.

It wasn’t fair, not really. She was only fifteen, and yet she had seen and experienced so many things that would destroy adults. She’d been forced to grow up so quickly.

“Penny for your thoughts, m’lady?”

Ladybug smiled at her partner. “Nothing in particular.”

He knew her so well. It was a suitable comfort to help with everything that was on her shoulders.

She would tell him how much she appreciated him soon. But not tonight. Tonight was just to relax.

Mirror- the next day, after school:

It was a long day, but it wasn’t nearly over yet. School was done for the day, sure, but that didn’t mean that Adrien could just go home. He had a fencing lesson to get to.

As he changed into his fencing gear, he just felt exhaustion press into him. Balancing an over-scheduled life and a second one was hard work.

Luckily, fencing was easy for him. He could just go through the motions and his father wouldn’t hear anything out of the ordinary.

Kagami smiled at Adrien as he stepped out into the area. Her sabre was already drawn, and she was practicing the movements by herself. She seemed to be full of energy, and full of eagerness to release it.

Adrien slowly unsheathed his sabre and faced Kagami. She was going to wipe the floor with him today, he could already tell.

And he was right.

After fencing practice, Adrien slumped onto a bench. Kagami sat down next to him. “Are you tired again today?” she asked quietly.

Adrien nodded.

Kagami shrugged. “We all have our good and bad days,” she murmured. “But you seem to be having many bad days.”

She patted his shoulder. “I know that things are difficult for you, but you have to take care of yourself.”

“I know.” Adrien whispered, giving his friend the ghost of a smile.

Kagami’s phone buzzed. “I have to go now,” she murmured. “I’ll see you next time. I hope you’ll be a little more challenging.”

She walked away, her head held high.

Adrien stared down at his feet. At least practice was over. The list of things he still had to do just grew a little shorter. Each day as himself was tiring and unrewarding, but it made his time as Chat Noir all the more wonderful.

Ladybug was amazing. She was so intelligent, and quick-thinking, and determined. There were times when he was overwhelmed by her. She moved fast, like a lightning strike. She was confidence incarnate, though there were times when her self-doubt broke her down. She wasn’t perfect, but she was very, very close.

He wanted to tell her how much she meant to him one day.

Silhouette- the next evening:

Chat Noir knew that he had a bit of an unrealistically romantic imagination. He knew that he didn’t see the world as it really was. It was all the result of too many days of being alone with only movies for company.

He’d learned, though. He’d grown as a person and was more adjusted to the real world. He still didn’t have a perfect grasp on how things worked, but it was better than when he’d first left his house.

When he’d confessed his lack of understanding of the real world to Firebird, she had told him that no one really understood how the world worked.

She always had something good to say.

And so, Chat Noir decided that he would seek her advice on one of his unrealistically imagined problems on their next patrol.

“I wish that Ladybug would dance with me, just once.” he murmured.

Firebird stared at him thoughtfully.

Chat weakly smirked. “I know it’s stupid. But I always wanted to share a dance with Ladybug.”

Firebird climbed up to her feet and held out her hand. “Well, come on then.” she murmured.

Chat blinked at her. “What?”

Firebird smiled. “If you want to dance with her and not make a fool out of yourself, you have to practice your moves.” she replied.

Chat took her hand and rose to his feet. Firebird let him go and draped her arm over his shoulder. “Now,” she began. “I don’t know any of those couple-y dances, but I will do my best. Follow my lead!”

The pair began bounding across the rooftop, twisting and stepping to their own imaginary beat. The dance had everything, including high kicks, slight acrobatics, and complicated step patterns. There was no rhyme or reason to their movements, but they were somehow in sync. Their free arms flailed around in time to their dance steps. As they wildy waltzed across the roof, they found themselves laughing at the top of their lungs.

Firebird released his shoulders and gripped his hands instead. She began spinning around, twirling both of them across the rooftop. “Whee!” Firebird exclaimed.

They soon finished up their spin and went right into a half-cartwheel, then began an extremely invigorating series of dance steps.

“What on earth are you two doing?”

The pair stopped. Chat Noir looked over his shoulder to see Ladybug standing on the roof behind him, a puzzled expression on her face.

“We are dancing!” Firebird replied. “Wanna join in?”

Ladybug smiled. “Sure.”

Firebird grinned. “Alright, you can, um, step in next to Charcoal here. Just put your arm ‘round his shoulders and prepare for the time of your life!”

The dance started off slow at first, but then very quickly picked up. The trio madly twirled and leaped about the rooftop, the sound of their feet tapping echoing around them like music. Firebird was in the lead, followed by Chat, then Ladybug. They whooped and laughed and smiled as they enjoyed the wacky dance and each other’s company.

After a few minutes, they all settled down, huffing for breath. They lay splayed about on the rooftop, their chests heaving.

Ladybug broke the silence by giggling. “Is this how you spend your time, Firebird?”

“More or less.” Firebird gasped. 

Chat smiled. He didn’t realize how much the company of Ladybug and Firebird meant to him. They both knew him so well, and somehow held the keys to boosting his mood. 

Ladybug stood up and stretched. “I’m heading home now,” she murmured. “Good night, you two.”

“Bye, Ladybug!” Firebird called.

“Goodnight!” Chat Noir murmured.

Ladybug waved and swung away. As she disappeared over the horizon, Firebird began to chuckle.

“What’s with you?” Chat asked.

“ _You_ just danced with your lady.” Firebird replied, sticking out her tongue.

Chat felt his face turn red. Firebird was _right_ . He’d literally just danced with Ladybug. It wasn’t quite as he imagined, (more of a slow dance with music and rose petals and just the two of them), but he had still danced with her. _And_ had a great time doing it.

Chat Noir waggled a finger at Firebird. “Tell me your secrets.” he demanded.

Firebird laughed. “No.”

Well, he would get it out of her one of these days.

~-~-~-

“It was incredible, Tikki! We just kept jumping and kicking and stepping! I haven’t had this much fun in a while!”

Tikki giggled. “Who knew that your teammates had such talent?”

Marinette leaned over her desk, her palms flat on its surface. “After we defeat Hawkmoth, the three of us need to start a dancing group.”

Tikki flew in a loop. “Now that I’d like to see!”

Marinette twirled around, her arms spread wide. “Imagine it, Tikki! We’d stand in front of a large crowd, each of us getting our own spotlight! Mine would be red, Chat’s would be green, and Firebird’s would be orange! Oh, and there would be neon signs with all three of our names all over the place!”

Tikki smiled. “That sounds beautiful! You could wear flowers in your hair, red and pink ones!”

Marinette giggled. “We’d all wear flowers! Chat’s would be white and green, and Firebird’s would be red and orange! Oh, and I’d totally design additions to our costumes!”

But reality sank in. Marinette groaned. “But first, we have to take down Hawkmoth. And who knows how long that will take? He hasn’t shown up in person since the Miracle Queen incident, plus he’s faster and stronger than us.”

Tikki’s expression turned somber.

“I won’t be able to leave Paris until we catch Hawkmoth!” Marinette whispered. “I won’t be able to go to the university I choose, or go on any vacations! I’ll just be stuck here until we somehow figure out how to take Hawkmoth down!”

Marinette sighed. “Sometimes, I really hate being Ladybug, Tikki.”

Tikki flew up and caressed her holder’s cheek. “I know Marinette,” she replied. “It isn’t fair. You’re so young, you shouldn’t have to hold all of these burdens.”

Marinette flopped in her desk chair, sending it spinning. She planted her feet on her floor when she had spun to face the Miracle Box.

It sat on her desk, as innocent as could be, disguised as a sewing kit. The illusion was perfect. Even if the sewing kit was opened up, it was exactly what it appeared to be. It held thread, and needles, and small scraps of fabric. Just like any other sewing kit.

But, if someone were to remove a certain needle from one of the several pincushions held inside, they would find a keypad that could unlock the true contents of the Miracle Box. Then, their journey of discovery would end, because they wouldn’t know the combination. But, if Marinette was the someone opening the Miracle Box, she would know the combination and therefore be able to open it. And if she opened it, she would find all of the Miraculous.The Miracle Box was incredible, with its ability to disguise and protect itself as well as changing to suit her needs.

The morning after Firebird had given her the Scorpion and Bear Miraculous, Marinette had found two additional slots in the Miracle box. One for the earrings, and one for the bracelet. Marinette though that it was nice, that every single Miraculous could be safely tucked away inside the box without much issue.

But even in disguise, the Miracle Box was still a burden. Every day, Marinette had to live with the fear that she was going to be caught, that the Miracle Box would be found and stolen, that all the other kwamis would be bent to Hawkmoth’s will like Nooroo.

She couldn’t keep this up. Even with Chat Noir and Firebird helping her, she was prone to collapse soon.

The battle with Silhouette was proof enough. Her concentration had lapsed, just for a moment, and she’d been taken over. The villain had almost managed to get away with her Miraculous, but luckily, her loyal partner had managed to save the day.

Marinette was so, so grateful that Chat Noir was by her side. She would never be able to win against the akumas, time after time without him. She needed him, no doubt about that.

Always, and forever, she needed her kitty.

And for his sake, and hers, she would keep fighting.

Lightmare- the next morning:

Hawkmoth, whoever he was, was a monster. He manipulated people’s emotions, making them into his puppets, and forced them to attack teenagers. He hammered at whatever vulnerabilities he could find on the heroes, not caring how much it hurt them.

Last night, Hawkmoth had used his villain to conjure the last person Vanessa had ever wanted to see: Scorpion.

Vanessa was not the kind of person to hate anyone, but she _hated_ Scorpion. She loathed him with all of her being. He had almost ruined her life, both outside and inside the mask.

Her biggest fear was that Scorpion would show up again, somehow, and ruin everything again.

It had taken Vanessa a while to admit it, but she was happy here. She had friends, both as herself and Firebird. She was surrounded by people who cared about her. She even had someone that she loved.

If she lost all of this, she wouldn’t be able to go on. Her new, fragile life in Paris was all she had now. She was ready to run if it started collapsing around her.

Vanessa was certain that Hawkmoth knew that the three heroes were only teenagers. After all, the magic of the Miraculous couldn’t hide the fact that they weren’t full-grown yet. Sure, physical attributes like hair and eyes could be changed, but not height and body shape. So unless Ladybug and Chat Noir were unusually short adults, Vanessa suspected that they were teenagers like her.

Vanessa had wondered if she knew either of the heroes in real life. She seriously doubted that she did, considering that Paris was a large, urban environment. She didn’t know the exact population of the city, but there were probably hundreds of teenagers out there.

Even Vanessa’s identity would be hard to sniff out if someone even bothered to look. She was one of many foriegn exchange students who’d come to Paris. A lot of her peers wanted to see the famous Ladybug and Chat Noir for themselves, which made it easy for Vanessa to blend in. The funny thing was, she was the only one out of all of them who got to see the heroes in person.

Every single day.

_And it’s great._

~-~-~-

Marinette paced around her room. She had received a flash of inspiration earlier, and now had a very good idea about Firebird’s secret past.

“Alright, Tikki,” Marinette whispered. “I have conclusions to make about Firebird.”

Tikki tilted her head to the side. “What do you mean, Marinette?”

“In New York City, there were two heroes: Scorpion, and someone who became Firebird,” Marinette murmured. “Alya said that one of them died. Since Firebird is here with us, logic dictates that Scorpion is dead.”

Tikki’s eyes widened. “Do you think she-”

“I don’t know,” Marinette replied. “I don’t have enough information.”

Tikki frowned. “If there were heroes, there should be some videos or articles about them. There are plenty of eager journalists over in New York City. There would definitely be interviews and photos, at least.”

Marinette felt her stomach clench. “There is only one explanation for this. There was information on them, but it’s all been deleted. All of it.”

Tikki gasped. “But… why?”

“I don’t know,” Marinette grimly replied. “The only person who knows why won’t talk about it, not yet. But I trust Firebird. I can and will wait for her to tell the truth.”

Tikki frowned. “But what if-”

“Firebird has not given me any reason not to trust her so far,” Marinette interrupted. “Even though the little information I have doesn’t cast her in a favorable light, we only have a very small piece of the picture. I’m not going to turn my back on her until I have all the facts.”

Tikki smiled. “I trust you. Just be careful.”

Marinette grinned. “I’ll be alright.”

Birdcage- two days later, in the evening:

Adrien finished up his homework with a flourish, resisting the urge to jump for joy as he shoved it away in his backpack. With his homework done, he could enjoy the rest of his evening.

The sun was beginning to set, turning the horizon flame orange. The clouds were dusted with red, and the faintest hints of indigo were appearing in the sky overhead.

Adrien stared at the sky. It was still too early for him to go to bed, but he didn’t have anything to do to occupy his time. “Hey, Plagg,” Adrien called. “What should I do tonight?”

“You could have some cheese,” the kwami murmured. “Not mine, though.”

“Thanks, that really cleared up the issue,” Adrien sarcastically replied. “Why do I even ask you anything?”

Plagg shrugged and took another bite of his camembert. “Because I have the wisdom of millennia.”

Adrien snorted. “All of your wisdom is about cheese.”

“You’re not wrong,” Plagg replied. “But cheese is the world.”

“Uh huh,” Adrien nodded. “So you say.”

Plagg indignantly sniffed. “Well, at least _I_ don’t rant on and on about how Ladybug is my world.”

Adrien reddened. “Hey! Plagg!”

“You’re not denying it,” the kwami taunted in a sing-song voice. “You know I’m ri-ight!”

A knock on the door sounded through the room. Instantly, Plagg gulped down the rest of his cheese and dove under Adrien’s desk. Adrien walked over to his door and opened it to see Nathalie.

“Here is your schedule for tomorrow, Adrien.” she murmured, handing him a tablet.

He took it with a nod. He looked it over, feeling his heart sink.

The entire day was entirely filled. He had photoshoots scheduled for the entirety of his school day, then a fencing lesson for his whole afternoon. He wouldn’t be able to see his friends at all.

He glanced back up. Nathalie had already departed. He numbly closed his door, trying not to burst into tears. He was aware of Plagg hovering over his shoulder.

“What is _this_ garbage?” Plagg growled.

“Tomorrow’s schedule.” Adrien quietly responded.

Plagg bristled. “Oh, if you didn’t care so much, I would Cataclysm your father off of the face of this planet.”

Adrien swallowed thickly. “Do you… do you mind if I go out now?”

“Just say the words.”

“Plagg, claws out.”

Chat Noir ran over Paris, the wind rushing in his face not at all helping him keep his tears at bay. He decided to head over to Marinette’s place. She was his best friend. She always made him feel better.

To his surprise, she was out on her balcony when he arrived. After leaping across the street to Marinette’s house, he made a not-so-graceful landing behind her.

She whipped around, her pigtails flying in the air. “Chat Noir!” she exclaimed.

He tried so, so very hard not to cry again. He was here now, with Marinette, and she was going to make him all batter. Because she was just that good of a person.

“Are you alright? What happened to you?”

He fell to his knees, low sobs tearing themselves out of his throat. The tears blinded him as all of his walls tumbled down around him.

Warmth surrounded him as he cried. He blinked through his tears to see Marinette, her arms wrapped securely around him, her head resting against his chest.

With a sigh of relief, he buried his face in Marinette’s hair and let himself relax. He was safe, he was secure. He was… home.

~-~-~-

Marinette was puzzled. Chat Noir had just arrived out of nowhere, burst into tears, and then fallen asleep. She watched him as he slept. He looked so peaceful, his face calm and his mouth carved into a small smile, though his cheeks were stained with tears.

“But,” Marinette whispered. “I didn’t do anything.”

Chat Noir snored in response.

Marinette chuckled, shaking her head. “He’s just like a real cat. He can sleep anywhere.”

Tikki emerged from the potted plant she’d been hiding in. “What do we do with him, Marinette?” she whispered.

“Well,” Marinette replied. “I could try bringing him inside. I don’t want to leave him out here in the cold.”

Marinette quietly crept across her balcony and opened her door. She moved back to Chat Noir and gently grabbed his wrists. She slowly dragged him across the floor. Once she reached her door, she painstakingly slid him through it and climbed down after him. Tikki flew down into the room, closing the door behind her.

Marinette settled down next to her partner. He was still fast asleep. She gently brushed some hair out of his face and smiled at him. “He’s so full of energy and life,” she murmured. “He’s never still unless he’s asleep.”

Tikki flew up to Marinette, holding a tissue. Marinette took it and wiped Chat’s cheeks clean. When she was done, she pressed her lips against his forehead in a kiss. “I wish he would tell me who made him cry,” she murmured. “Because I want to make them cry too for what they did to him.”

Tikki sheepishly glanced off to the side. Marinette sighed. “My poor, sweet kitty…”

Chat slowly blinked his eyes open. He yawned, showing off his long canine teeth. “What happened?” he murmured, sitting up.

“You, uh, fell asleep,” Marinette replied. “I didn’t want to leave you outside by yourself.”

He wiped at his eyes. “Thanks.” he whispered.

Marinette smiled. “Don’t mention it,” she replied. “Anyways, what are you doing here?”

Chat Noir stuck his tongue out. “I wanted to visit a friend. My only choices are you and someone who knocked me out once, so…”

“Wait, someone knocked you out? Who? When?”

“Oh, it was just a joke.” Chat replied, chuckling.

Marinette giggled. “Well, I’m glad to see your sense of humor is intact! I guess you’re feeling better, then.”

“I am.”

They sat in comfortable silence for a moment before Chat spoke up again. “You beat me last time.”

Marinette smiled. “I did.”

Chat narrowed his eyes. “I want to try again.”

Marinette hopped out of her bed, landing on her floor. She walked across her room and sat down in her desk chair. She picked up a controller off of her desk and shook it invitingly. “Come on then.” she murmured.

Chat made his way to the desk and picked up the other controller. “Game on.”  
  


~-~-~-

Firebird puffed for breath as she dashed over Paris. Lightmare ran after her, followed by Scorpion. Both of them were laughing at and taunting her. Their jeers echoed in her ears as she tried to escape.

Firebird slowed to a halt when Birdcage lurched into her path. Inside of his cage, bound by chains of gold, was Chat Noir. Both of his hands were stretched outside of the bars, with dark energy crackling around them. His head was slumped, hiding his face, and his suit had patches of white on it.

Firebird ran off to the side, trying to escape from the horrifying visions. She froze in place when she saw Ladybug in front of her. “Ladybug!” Firebird gasped. “Please, help me!”

Ladybug’s costume was suddenly washed over in green and white, her eyes turning yellow. “Why would I ever help you?” she spat. “You’re no hero at all, you’re a villain! You deserve whatever happens to you!”

Firebird felt the familiar sting of tears as she pushed past Ladybug and continued running. Screams and taunts surrounded Firebird as she tried to escape.

Once again, her way was blocked. This time, it was Bearon, holding a struggling Chloe in her arms. “Oh, Nessa,” Bearon cooed. “This is who you’ve left me for? You’re so pathetic.”

Firebird clapped her hands over her ears, sinking down to her knees. “Stop it! Shut up! Shut up!”

Bearon smirked. “You can’t ever escape me,” she growled. “For as long as you live, you will never be able to leave my embrace.”

Around Firebird, Paris melted away, turning into New York City. Firebird gasped and pulled her arms around her head as Chloe disappeared into thin air.

Bearon sat down beside Firebird, a grin on her face. “You can still come back,” Bearon murmured. “It’s not too late.”

“Stop!” Firebird cried. “Just stop! Phoenix’s Rebirth!”

Fire burst into being all around them, casting dancing orange light all over the place. Bearon struggled to her feet, even as fire traveled all over her body. “It’s adorable that you think you can escape,” she growled. “You’ll never be able to hide from what you are!”

Firebird gasped as her old costume suddenly grew over her. Bearon lifted her hammer up, the metal reflecting the dancing flames. She grinned before slamming her hammer down.

The ground around her _cracked_. Firebird watched as the ground began to crumble, cracks snaking towards her. Deep rifts began to form, causing everything to crumble more.

The ground beneath Firebird’s feet fell away, opening up a deep pit.. She screamed as she plunged down, the world spinning around her. She fell farther and farther, the light above growing fainter and fainter.

“No!” Vanessa screamed, jerking upright.

Her frantic breathing filled her ears as she tried to calm down. She was not, in fact, falling into a deep, fiery pit. She was safe in bed, her blankets wrapped around her.

After the panic of her nightmare faded, Vanessa glanced over to her window. Her curtains were slightly open. Orange light from the setting sun poured into her room, flickering when the wind blew tree branches across her window.

Vanessa pulled her blankets away and shakily got out of bed. She stumbled over to her window and yanked the curtains shut, blocking her vision of the coming night. She didn’t want to see the darkness wash over the sky.

After the physical and mental agony caused by Lightmare and Birdcage, Vanessa had just shut down. She felt numb and emotionless. She couldn’t sleep at night anymore. She had already missed some school because her body forced her to sleep during the day. Every time she slept, she’d had horrifying nightmares.

Iraa did her best to keep Vanessa to a routine. She made sure that Vanessa was eating, showering, changing her clothes. Vanessa was truly grateful for her kwami. If it hadn’t been for Iraa, she would have given up a long time ago.

Even still, Vanessa hadn’t left her apartment since the incident with Birdcage. She didn’t want to face the world, to expose more of her vulnerabilities to attack. Every time she’d set a foot or finger outside, her whole body would freeze. She wouldn’t be able to breathe or speak or move, unless it was to go back inside. 

Fortunately, there hadn’t been any akuma attacks, so she didn’t have to worry about letting her teammates down. She didn’t want to let anyone down, not anymore.

Vanessa knew that she had to leave her home sometime. There was going to be an akuma attack eventually, and that it wasn’t healthy to lock herself away. She knew she looked terrible, with dark bags under her eyes and messy hair. She was wearing a set of pajamas, which consisted of a plain black shirt and black-and-white striped baggy pants.

“Nessa,” Iraa murmured. “Why don’t you get something to eat?”

Vanessa nodded. She unsteadily walked out of her bedroom and into the kitchen. She opened the cabinets and began rifling through them, soon finding a can of chicken soup.

She reached into another cabinet and pulled out a pot. It had a small dent on the bottom, from the time she’d used it to hit Chat Noir. With a small smile, she opened the can, emptied it’s contents into the pot, and turned on the stove.

While the soup heated up, Vanessa helped herself to a small cup of water. She quickly gulped it down, feeling it soothe her dry throat.

The soup was soon ready. Vanessa poured it into a bowl and slowly began to sip the hot broth. She set the bowl down on the dining table and sighed. “Iraa,” she croaked. “Have I ever told you how much I appreciate you?”

The kwami ruffled her feathers. “You don’t need to, Nessa,” she replied. “I already know.”

Vanessa glanced up at her ceiling. “Thank you.”

Iraa smiled. “No problem.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you for your patience and for reading this. Next chapter will return to your regularly scheduled programming.


	11. Honesty pt. 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a juicy one. Prepare for lots of drama!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just realized that I haven't updated in forever. My bad.  
> I'm just going to shut up now and let you read in peace.

Hawkmoth silently sat in his lair, pondering a new plan. Every akuma that he sent out was unsuccessful. He realized that he needed to break his goal up into smaller pieces. The first thing that he wanted to do was unmask all three heroes. With their largest advantage gone, Hawkmoth would be able to retrieve their Miraculous all the more easily.

All that he needed was a villain that had the ability to somehow force the revelation of the hero’s identities. Unfortunately, he couldn’t just give that power to anyone with negative emotions. The power that he gave a person had to be related to the circumstances that caused them to experience their negative emotions. Hawkmoth was looking for someone who felt betrayed by someone who lied to them.

He regretted not coming up with this idea three months ago. He could have easily found people who felt betrayed back then. After all, Lila Rossi’s lies and her alliance with him had been exposed during that time, and the entirety of her class had felt that betrayal. He had made the mistake of using that betrayal to create yet another ineffective akuma.

Well, almost ineffective. If it wasn’t for the interference of Panther, whoever she was, the villain would have likely succeeded in defeating Ladybug and Chat Noir. Luckily, that pesky hero hadn’t been seen since.

Hawkmoth rested both of his hands on his cane. He knew that it was possible that his villain might not succeed in this task. He needed a contingency plan.

Unfortunately, he couldn’t rely on Mayura’s assistance anymore. The Peacock Miraculous had been damaged again after Mayura had gone out to assist Lila. It was in even worse shape than when he’d first found it, and the damage seemed to be irreparable this time. Because of this, he forbade Nathalie from using the power of the Peacock. She was still suffering from the effects of the prior damage to the Miraculous, and if she used it in its new damaged state, she could die.

An idea sprung into Hawkmoth’s mind. He knew that Lila was a liability to akumatize again, but that didn’t mean that she couldn’t be useful. He just needed to contact her.

He summoned a butterfly and filled it with power. “Go, find my ally!” he commanded.

The akuma fluttered out of the window, heading off into the city.

~-~-~-

Life had never been pleasant for Lila. She’d lived in other places, gone to other schools, but had been bullied, over and over. Fresh starts were a constant for her, but they always ended up going foul.

Lila had once been nice. But being nice had never helped her, not at all. She needed a way to survive, to prevent herself from sinking any farther.

So she taught herself how to lie.

She’d made sure to practice her craft before unleashing it on her new school. It was surprising how easily they’d all fallen for her lies. If they weren’t such open idiots, Lila might suspect that it was all an act.

Of course, goody-two-shoes Marinette had somehow managed to see through it, for all the good _that_ did. It was child’s play to trap and hurt Marinette, with her stubborn insistence to always announce that Lila was lying only further cementing her own downfall. Adrien had intervened, preventing Lila from completely undoing Marinette, which was surprising. Lila thought that he was all blonde hair, money, and makeup, with no guts or brains. That development had been a little infuriating.

Even still though, Marinette’s reputation had taken a hit. People hadn’t looked at her the same way after the expulsion. All of the people that had befriended Marinette turned their backs to her and hung on Lila’s words instead. And for the cherry on top, Marinette had stopped her useless whining about Lila’s oh-so-terrible lies.

But then, the tables turned. Marinette suddenly conjured up a surprising amount of evidence disproving almost each and every lie that Lila had ever told. In less than an hour, her entire life in this school had crumbled around her. Adrien had stared disapprovingly at her, before spouting off some ‘advice’ about honesty and doing better for herself and all sorts of other useless words.

Now, Lila was alone, isolated in the back of the classroom, and no one talked to her. Even in group projects, her partner wouldn’t talk to her unless it was about the project. The silence wasn’t nearly as bad as the emotional and physical torment that she’d been unfairly served in previous schools, though.

What had stuck the most about that day was that _Ladybug_ had helped Marinette out by bringing forward evidence of Lila’s alliance with Hawkmoth.

Lila had been so angry that she’d been akumatized, again. However, Hawkmoth had told her that this was the last time he was akumatizing her for the foreseeable future, due to the fact that their alliance was no longer secret.

When Lila had woken up after her akumatization, she’d found herself alone in a sea of anger, disappointment, and pain. She’d been alone ever since.

Her hopes had been reignited when that new girl came to the school. Lila saw that she was different from the others. They didn’t see it, but this Vanessa girl was so much like Lila. She could see, in every fiber of Vanessa’s tiny body, the same pain that had hardened Lila into the person she was today. 

Lila had hoped that she could mold Vanessa to follow her lead. All it would take was a few pushes in the right direction, and Lila would be able to unseat Marinette for good, rising back to the top with Vanessa by her side. It would be quite simple. If Lila could snare the girl’s sympathy, Vanessa would be able to use her influence as the ‘new kid’ to sway people into forgiving and befriending Lila.

However, Lila’s attempts to reach the wretched girl had been foiled at every turn. Whenever Lila sought Vanessa out, the girl had been swept away by one idiot or another. Lila secretly wondered if they were doing it on purpose.

Luckily, her persistence soon bore fruit. One day, Vanessa had dawdled after class, finally giving Lila the chance to speak to her.

It did little good. Vanessa had shields in her mind, shields that not even some well-placed words on Lila’s part could pierce. Vanessa had seen right through Lila’s deceptions and had quickly made her escape.

To Lila, there was only one conclusion that made sense: Vanessa had encountered another master liar before. Whoever it was, they had done a far more decent job of breaking Vanessa than Lila had done to Marinette. Lila wanted to meet them and shake their hand, maybe ask them what they had done so she could repeat it.

Unfortunately, this outcome meant Lila’s only avenue back to the top was now useless. She couldn’t pull Vanessa’s strings, since they were so well guarded.

Lila found herself alone again.

She stomped down the street, sending glares at anyone who got too close to her. Her life was so vile now. She soon reached her home, slamming the door open. She stormed into her room, shutting her door behind her.

Lila dropped onto her bed, her anger and frustration brewing like a storm around her. She wanted to scream and rage and bring fire upon the whole accursed world. But, without anyone to help her, she was forced to suffer in silence.

A flash caught at the corner of Lila’s vision. She slowly turned her head to see a very familiar black butterfly slip in through her window. “Oh, finally.” she growled, grabbing the akuma and pressing it into her earring. 

“Hawkmoth!” she barked. “What took you so long?”

“My apologies,” Hawkmoth murmured. “I had to make the world think that our alliance was buried.”

Lila scowled. “Well, you didn’t give _me_ any sign that we were still working together!”

“My silence was calculated, Miss Rossi,” Hawkmoth replied. “But we cannot worry about that now. I require your assistance in fighting against Ladybug.”

Lila felt a spark of glee shove away her resentment. “I can finally take my revenge?” she whispered. “I was so close last time!”

“You will, don't worry,” Hawkmoth replied. “But I cannot akumatize you.”

“What? Why?” Lila asked.

Hawkmoth chuckled. “People will suspect that we haven’t terminated our alliance if I akumatize you again. However, you can still get revenge. Here is my plan…”

~-~-~-

Hugo heard a knock on his front door. Curiosity stole over him as he walked up through his house. He opened the door to see Victor standing outside, his hands behind his back. “Oh! Victor!” Hugo exclaimed. “I thought you were busy this evening.”

“The plans fell through,” Victor replied. “I decided to go do something else I’ve been planning for a while.”

Victor held out a bouquet. “I came over here, Hugo, to tell you the truth.”

Hugo accepted the flowers, confusion washing over him. “What’s up?”

“I’m sorry, Hugo,” Victor murmured. “But I don’t love you anymore. I’ve wanted to tell you for a while, but I didn’t want to hurt you while you were still in a rough place.”

Hugo felt a tear run down his cheek. 

“I’m sorry.” Victor whispered again.

“I know,” Hugo choked out. “It’s alright.”

Victor walked away, casting a sad glance back at Hugo. 

Hugo slowly shut his front door. He felt a void tear into his heart, then slowly swell to consume him. He didn’t cry. He couldn’t.

He stared at the closed door with stinging eyes. “When did you fall out of love with me, Victor?” he whispered. “Why didn’t you tell me earlier? How long were you lying to me?”

He didn’t see the dark butterfly as it flew towards him. It circled him a couple times. He didn’t budge.

The butterfly dropped down, sinking into the bouquet.

“Honesty, I am Hawkmoth,” a voice whispered. “I am giving you the power to expose the truth of the people surrounding you. In return, I want you to unmask Ladybug and Chat Noir.”

Honesty grinned. “The truth will come to the light.”

Dark smoke boiled out of the bouquet and swallowed up the man.

~-~-~-

Marinette couldn’t predict the future, but that morning, she’d had a feeling that today was going to be a very bad day.

School passed by as normal, though Vanessa was absent. That wasn’t much of an issue, though. People just missed school sometimes.

No, something else was going to go horribly wrong.

Two hours after school ended, there was an akuma attack at the Louvre. Annoying, but not exactly disastrous. Marinette set aside her schoolwork and rose from her desk.

“Tikki, spots on!”

Ladybug crawled out of her room and swung off into the warm afternoon sun. She soon arrived at the Louvre. The villain was rampaging outside the building, throwing around flowers that rapidly spun around like throwing stars.

He was wearing a black bodysuit with green vine designs twirling around his limbs and a flower crown on top of his head.. He wasn’t wearing a mask, but his eyes were completely white.

Ladybug wasn’t going to engage with him until she had some backup. Fighting alone could get her in a hairy situation really quick.

After a couple of minutes, Chat Noir arrived. He had his usual bright smile on, and seemed to be filled with unspent energy.

“Shall we, Ladybug?” he asked.

Ladybug nodded. Firebird hadn’t shown up yet, but they couldn’t afford to wait for her.

The pair leaped down into the square below, landing in front of the villain.

Chat Noir puffed up his chest. “Halt!” he yelled in a deep voice. “You shall not trespass any further! Identify yourself!”

Ladybug stifled a groan. _He always has to be so dramatic._

Meanwhile, the villain had strutted up to the pair with a malicious grin. “I am Honesty!” he hissed. “I am tired of being lied to by everyone around me!”

Honesty jabbed a finger at the two heroes. “You two are the biggest liars of all! You lie to everyone you swear to protect! I am going to make you be honest for once!”

“In all honesty, I don’t think we’re going to spill those secrets.” Chat Noir replied.

Honesty grinned. “Neither one of you has a choice! All will see the truth!”

He plucked some flowers off of his crown and tossed them at the heroes. The flowers spun through the air. Ladybug and Chat Noir were barely able to dodge out of the way in time.

“Sooo, you’re trying to make us tell the truth… with flower powers?” Chat Noir asked.

“I already know a truth about you, Honesty!” Ladybug yelled, swinging her yo-yo in front of herself as a shield. “I know where your akuma is!”

Honesty darkly chuckled. He plucked another flower off of his crown. “That may be,” he replied. “But I don’t think that you’ll be able to reach it.

He dropped this flower onto the ground. As soon as it landed, a massive vine erupted out of it, launching the villain into the sky.

Ladybug threw her yo-yo and wrapped it around Honesty’s waist, pulling him to the ground. He cracked the ground around him as he landed.

He staggered back to his feet, his face in a scowl. He grabbed a handful of flowers off of his crown.

“I’m not defeated yet.” he growled.

Honesty chucked all the flowers at Ladybug. Chat Noir leaped down in front of her, knocking them to the side with his baton.

Ladybug vaulted over her partner, wrapping her yo-yo around Honesty’s ankle while she was still in the air. When she landed, she yanked on the wire, knocking the villain off balance. He faceplanted back into the crater he’d fallen into before.

Chat Noir bent over and reached towards Honesty’s crown. When he tried taking it, it remained stuck to Honesty.

“It’s stuck!” Chat Noir exclaimed. “It won’t come off!”

Ladybug ran over to her partner. “Can you let it go?”

Chat released it, but it remained stuck to his hands. “It’s stuck to me now!”

Honesty climbed up to his feet, ripping his crown free from Chat’s hands. He rearranged the crown so it was sitting normally on his head. “Now, now,” Honesty chided. “You must keep your paws to yourself. Perhaps you need a lesson for that.”

Green vines sprouted from Chat’s hands, winding over them. He tried to rip them off, but his hands were tied together before he could do anything.

Chat smirked. “Nice try,” he growled. “But this cat has claws! Cataclysm!”

The vines shredded away from his hands, dissolving into dust.

Honesty didn’t look bothered. Instead, he reached towards his crown again.

Ladybug threw her yo-yo again, this time wrapping it around Honesty’s wrist. Unfortunately, he used his other hand to tear some flowers off of his crown. This time, when he threw them, there were only two.

Ladybug freed up her yo-yo so she could deflect the flowers again. Although, instead of hurtling towards her, they unfurled like sails. They slowly drifted through the air.

Ladybug wasn’t sure what these flowers were meant to do, but she wouldn’t let whatever it was happen. She tossed her yo-yo once more.

The flowers blurred, rapidly sailing away from her attack. They spun through the sky, heading straight for the pair.

Ladybug didn’t know what happened to Chat Noir, but one of the flowers landed right on her face. She tried pulling it off, but it was stuck fast.

As she tried to free herself, the flower smothered her, filling her nose with pollen. She coughed and choked and barely managed to pry the offending plant off of her.

As soon as Ladybug could see again, she noticed that her partner was in a similar condition. He had his back to her, but she could tell that he was also hacking and coughing. It was so bad that he was hunched over with his hands on his knees.

Ladybug coughed a few more times and staggered next to her partner. He slowly straightened up when she stopped next to him. She cleared her throat. “Are you o-”

Ladybug’s voice died in her throat. Chat Noir’s mask had vanished, displaying his entire face. Which just so happened to be Adrien’s entire face.

She quickly brought her hands to her own face. She couldn’t feel her mask anymore. “Oh no.” she gasped.

Her partner’s face was as shocked as she felt.

Both heroes whirled around to face Honesty. The villain darkly laughed and held out his hand. The outline of Hawkmoth’s mask appeared over his face.

“You shall fall soon, Ladybug.”

A small pink bud began to grow in Honesty’s hand. It grew bigger and bigger, swelling to a disturbingly massive size. It grew so quickly that she had no idea what to do.

It suddenly burst open, covering the entire area with pink mist. It smelled sickeningly sweet, to the point where Ladybug couldn’t handle the scent. She coughed and pulled her yo-yo over her nose and mouth to block the mist.

“This perfume will attract any reporter to the area,” Honesty murmured. “And then, your secret identities will never be a secret ever again.”

He stepped backwards with a small smirk before turning around and dashing away. He turned around a corner, where he was out of sight. A moment later, a white butterfly fluttered off into the sky from where Honesty had disappeared.

“So… what do we do now?”

At this point, Ladybug didn’t even know if she or Chat Noir had said that. Not that it made a difference. It was apparent that neither she nor her partner knew what to do next.

~-~-~-

Vanessa sat slumped on her couch, dully staring at her television as she scrolled through various channels. She lingered on each channel for barely a second before flipping to the next one. Her eyes were only half-open, her mind faintly registering what she was watching on the television. Iraa was snoozing on the couch beside her.

Finally, Vanessa paused when a news channel flickered onto the screen. 

“Alert! Alert! Another akuma is attacking Paris!” the reporter exclaimed. “He has been spotted at the Louvre! The area is being evacuated!”

Vanessa felt her eyes widen in horror as she stared at the screen. Her mind rapidly woke up. _Oh no! There’s another akuma attack!_

She hunched her shoulders in determination. “Iraa, flame on.”

Firebird dashed out of her living room, stopping in front of the door to her balcony. She slowly slid it open, feeling her gut clench as a gust of wind blew into her face. She hunched over, clutching at her stomach.

Slowly but surely, she managed to shuffle out onto her balcony. The pain grew worse as she closed her balcony door behind her. The air around her felt cold. Her breathing sped up, the constant sound of her gasping breaths filling the air.

“I can do this,” Firebird wheezed. “All I have to do is jump.”

So she did.

As she plunged down towards the ground, she whipped out her boomerang and threw it. She sailed up, landing on a nearby rooftop. As soon as her feet landed, she was running. She knew that she had to get to the Louvre as fast as she possibly could.

Everything felt so much worse now that she was fully outside. The sky felt too big, like it was about to swallow her whole, and she was pretty sure she wasn’t imagining the cloying smell of flowers in the air. It only got stronger as she got closer to the Louvre. Pink mist began to swirl through the air.

“If they get hurt, it’s all my fault!” Firebird groaned. “If only I hadn’t been such a coward!”

She kept running, watching on her boomerang as her icon grew closer and closer to the Louvre. She leaped over the peak of the last roof, dropping down into the square. The smell was almost unbearable now, to the point that she wanted to plug her nose.

Ladybug and Chat Noir were standing at the scene, their backs to Firebird. Other than them, the entire area was empty. The only other signs that something had even happened was the gross mist and a lot of wilted plants that were scattered about the place.

Firebird felt a stab of relief. _They must have taken care of everything already._

She moved towards them. “I’m sorry that I’m late, guys!” she called.

Both of them turned around to face her. She froze in place.

Their masks had somehow disappeared, revealing their true faces. Firebird had barely registered that she was looking at Marinette and Adrien instead of Ladybug and Chat Noir before she had run up to them. She pressed their faces into her shoulders, and wrapped her arms protectively around them.

A few moments later, Firebird spotted reporters moving in on the scene. She defensively glared at them, while making sure that she was blocking their vision of her friend’s faces. 

“You okay, you guys?” she quietly asked.

“No,” Ladybug/Marinette mumbled. “Honesty unmasked us, so now Hawkmoth knows who we are.”

Firebird felt her stomach sink. _I should’ve been there. I should have helped them._

“I’m sorry that I didn’t show up sooner,” Firebird whispered. “If I’d just been a little quicker-”

“If you’d been faster, you might have been unmasked too.” Chat Noir/Adrien interrupted.

Firebird glanced around. More reporters were beginning to swarm the scene, and they were getting closer. She hugged her friends tighter before shuffling out of the open square and into a nearby alleyway.

As soon as they were all out of sight, Firebird relaxed her hold on her friends. They backed away from her, their faces grim.

Their identities were out of immediate danger, but now they had a new problem. Their masks were still missing, and their identities would be revealed if anyone spotted them.

“What do we do?” Firebird whispered.

“I can try using my cure to restore our masks.” Ladybug/Marinette murmured.

“It’s worth a shot.” Chat Noir/Adrien replied.

“Miraculous Ladybug!”

The magic ladybugs swept around, restoring the masks of the heroes. The three each breathed a sigh of relief. 

“Phew!” Chat Noir exclaimed. “I’m really glad to have my mask back!”

As he said those words, his and Ladybug’s transformations both dropped. Two kwamis tumbled out onto the ground. “Oh no,” Firebird whispered, kneeling down beside them. “What’s wrong, why did the transformation fall?”

The red kwami (who Iraa had said was named Tikki) weakly stirred. “The akuma’s powers drained our energy.” she replied.

Instantly, Marinette and Adrien began digging around in their pockets. After a few moments, they both pulled some food out of their pockets and fed it to their kwamis. Tikki gulped down her macaron right away, but Plagg began to slowly nibble his cheese.

“Really, Plagg?” Adrien asked. “I’ve seen you eat faster than that!”

Plagg slowly chewed his bite. “There’s no rush.”

Marinette nervously fidgeted. “Actually, there is a rush. Could you please eat a little faster?”

Plagg shrugged. “I’ll try, Pigtails.”

Marinette groaned. Tikki sighed. Firebird smacked her head into a wall. Adrien followed suit a moment later. Meanwhile, Plagg merrily grinned and continued eating his cheese.

Finally, after a few agonizing minutes of just listening to Plagg loudly eat, he was done. “Alright,” Plagg burped. “Let’s get out of here.”

“Tikki, spots on!”

“Plagg, claws out!”

In a flash of light, Ladybug and Chat Noir appeared. “Alright,” Ladybug murmured. “We need to talk about everything that’s happened today.”

“We can’t do it here,” Chat murmured. “We need to go somewhere more private.”

“Let’s go to my room.” Ladybug replied.

Chat Noir nodded silently. 

“How do we get there?” Firebird asked.

“Just follow me.” Ladybug responded.

The trio bounded out of the alley, leaping and swinging over Paris. Firebird kept an eye out for anyone who might be following them, but she didn’t see anyone.

They soon arrived at the Dupain-Cheng’s bakery, which Firebird had only seen from school. She knew Marinette had lived there, but she hadn’t ever been there. Vanessa had never been sure that she was close enough to Marinette to be invited over.

Not that it really made a difference now.

The three heroes landed on the balcony at the top of the bakery. Ladybug opened up a trapdoor. “My room’s through here.” she murmured.

Chat Noir dropped through first. Firebird jumped down after him. Ladybug came through last, closing and locking the door behind her.

“Spots off.”

“Claws in.”

Firebird watched as Marinette and Adrien appeared again. Now that she had a moment to think about it, she could see the parallels between her friends and her teammates. Not just in physical features, but in personality traits too. Marinette was a kind, smart leader, just like Ladybug. Adrien was a talented, strong fighter, just like Chat Noir.

_Of course it’s them. It could only be them. It’s amazing that I didn’t see this earlier._

But what would happen now? Ladybug and Chat Noir, the heroes of the city, had just had their identities revealed to Hawkmoth. Firebird wished that she had been in their place. She knew that she didn’t count as a hero of Paris, not really. It wouldn’t have been as bad if it were her instead.

“Firebird?”

She glanced up. Both Marinette and Adrien were looking at her expectantly. “What’d you say?” Firebird asked.

“We asked you if we need to introduce ourselves.” Marinette replied.

Firebird fiddled with her hands. “Nah, I already know who you both are.”

Marinette frowned. “How?”

“You wouldn’t believe me if I told you.” Firebird replied, weakly smiling.

_I trust them. I’ve trusted people before, and I’ve been hurt._

“But I can show you.”

_But it’s different this time. They won’t hurt me like she did._

The room was silent. 

_It’ll be alright. I’ll be okay._

“Flame out.”

~-~-~-

Adrien gaped. “Vanessa?” he exclaimed.

“Yep, it’s me!” she replied, grinning slightly.

Marinette smiled. “That’s incredible! I-I had no idea!”

Vanessa shrugged. “I… took steps to hide myself.”

Adrien couldn’t help the smile that broke over his face. He wrapped his arms around both of his friends, hugging them tightly.

Vanessa began to lightly sob. Adrien felt a stab of concern. “Are you okay?” he asked.

“Oh, I’m fine,” Vanessa replied, wiping at her eyes. “I’m just on an emotional rollercoaster right now. Don’t worry, they’re happy tears.”

Marinette sniffled. “I think I have some of those too.”

Adrien felt his own eyes water. “So do I.”

The three friends sat on the floor of Marinette’s bedroom and cried for a few moments. Despite their tears, they all boasted wide smiles.

They soon wiped their faces off. “So,” Marinette began. “How do we go forwards from here?”

Adrien felt his heart hammer in his chest. “We have to act like everything’s normal so people don’t get suspicious.” he murmured.

Vanessa tapped on her chin. “We should also stay close to each other,” she replied. “We don’t know what the consequences of this battle will be. Personally, I don’t want to be far from either of you if something goes down.”

“I forgot,” Marinette faintly replied. “Hawkmoth knows who we are under the masks.”

“He’s going to use this against us,” Adrien growled in response. “He never hesitates to lever any advantage.”

“I know,” Vanessa grimly replied. “We have to be ready for anything. Luckily, I don’t think that any non-Miraculous-holders know who you two are.”

“That doesn’t make me feel much better, Vanessa.” Marinette whispered.

“Sorry.”

The trio sat in silence for a moment. Adrien felt a realization strike him. “What are we going to do tonight?” he gasped. “My father will be expecting me to come home!”

Marinette frowned. “We’ll have to split up tonight. We can’t let our parents suspect anything!”

Vanessa folded her arms. “I’m going to hang with Charcoal,” she murmured. “There’s no way I’m leaving him alone in that house.”

Adrien gratefully smiled. “Vanessa, you don’t have t-”

Vanessa whirled to face him. “I’m not leaving you alone with your father,” she growled. “I live alone, so no one will be worried if I don’t go to my apartment tonight.”

“She’s right,” Marinette murmured. “I was always worried about how isolated you were. Vanessa can stay with you tonight. We can make plans tomorrow.”

Adrien shrugged. “I’m okay with it.”

“Great!” Vanessa exclaimed. “You go on ahead, I have some questions for boss lady first.”

Adrien raised an eyebrow. “Boss lady?”

Vanessa grinned and pointed at Marinette.

Adrien chuckled. “Alright, you two have fun or whatever. Plagg, claws out!”

Chat Noir began to climb out of Marinette’s room. “You know where to go, right Vanessa?”

“Yep!” Vanessa replied. “I remember because I nearly bisected myself on your window once!”

At this time, Chat was already outside, but he stuck his head back in when he heard the second thing Vanessa said. “Wait, you nearly what?”

The door slammed in his face. “Byeseeyoulater!” Vanessa’s muffled voice called.

Chat Noir stared at the door for a moment before jumping off of the roof and heading home.

The entire trip was uneventful, and within a matter of minutes, he’d bounded through his window and de-transformed on his floor.

As soon as Plagg began munching on his cheese, Adrien watched the kwami incredulously. “I don’t even know why I’m giving you camembert after that stunt you pulled today!” Adrien sighed.

Plagg blinked innocently. “I don’t know what you’re talking about.”

“You know exactly what I’m talking about!” Adrien replied. “I’ve never seen you take that long to eat cheese ever!”

Plagg shrugged. “What? I can't help it! My teeth have been hurting for some reason."

Adrien buried his face in his pillow, drowning out his exasperated scream. When he was done, he glared at his kwami. Plagg finished off his cheese, deliberately ignoring the frustration of his holder.

Adrien sighed. He loved his kwami to death, but there were times when he wished he could smother the smug creature in his sleep. Such as right now.

~-~-~-

“Hawkmoth wants your Miraculous really badly,” Vanessa began. “I mean, why would he go through all of this for some jewelry? What would he even use it for?”

“According to the Guardian’s tome, if the Miraculous are somehow combined, they can be used to make a reality-altering wish,” Marinette replied. “Although, the price of the Wish is just as great as the benefits of it.”

“There isn’t just a price,” Tikki murmured. “Using the Wish can have unexpected consequences. It causes reality to crack, and it can affect many people in many different ways. The Ladybug and Black Cat holders usually suffer the worst.”

“That’s horrible!” Vanessa whispered. “Why would that happen?”

Tikki sighed. “I don’t understand it myself. Most of these kinds of secrets are held by the Guardians.”

Vanessa frowned. “Well, that’s stupid.”

“Yeah, it is,” Iraa murmured with a shrug. “But that’s how things are.”

The group sat in silence for a moment.

Marinette sighed and stood up. “I’m glad you’re here, Vanessa. You’ve been such a wonderful teammate and incredibly supportive. It can’t have been easy for you, especially after your old partner died.”

Vanessa frowned. “Scorpion’s dead?”

Marinette nodded.

Vanessa’s eyes moved to her feet. “Well, I can’t say I’m sorry that he’s gone, though I wish I’d been able to kill him myself.”

Marinette’s expression looked even more confused. “How did you not know that he was dead? He died before you came here.”

Vanessa felt her own confusion grow. “But he was alive whe- ooooooooooh,” she murmured. “The hero who ‘died’, uh, that was me.”

Marinette’s eyes widened. “How?”

Vanessa fidgeted. “Um, well. Back in New York, I maybe, kinda, possibly faked my death as my hero self?”

Marinette stared at Vanessa in horror. “Did… did you ever want to do it again? Any time you were here in Paris, did you want to fake your death again?”

Vanessa sighed. “I’m not going to lie and say no,” she replied. “You deserve to hear my honesty in this, at least.”

Marinette stared right into Vanessa’s eyes. “Why? Why did you do it the first time? Why did you want to do it again?”

Vanessa’s eyes fell to the floor. She didn’t want to see the disappointment on Marinette’s face. She couldn’t bring herself to say anything either. How could she answer that question? There really was no good way to explain why she wanted to fake her death.

Another silence, even longer than the first, settled over the group. Vanessa broke it by standing up. “Anyways, I should go after Charcoal,” she murmured. “I don’t want him to start to worry. Iraa, flame on.”

“Goodbye, Vanessa!” Marinette murmured. “But before you go, did you really almost bisect yourself on Adrien’s window?”

Firebird smirked and winked. “A girl never tumbles and tells.”

Marinette burst into quiet laughter as Firebird clambered out of the window. 

The afternoon was strangely quiet as Firebird made her way to Adrien’s house. Then again, she could barely hear anything over the pounding of her own heart.

What was going to happen now? Hawkmoth knew who Ladybug and Chat Noir were, and he wasn’t going to rest now that he had that information. Akumas could specifically target their friends and families, or Hawkmoth could try singling out Firebird as well. There were so many things that could happen, and not many of them were good.

Firebird soon arrived at Adrien’s house. She softly landed on the roof. She securely wedged her boomerang in the roof tiles before lowering herself down to Adrien’s window.

Adrien was standing in front of his window, his arms crossed. He stared at Firebird with a disapproving expression. “You’re late.” he murmured.

Firebird wiggled into the window and jumped down onto Adrien’s floor, pulling her boomerang with her. “Sorry.”

“What were you talking with Marinette about?” he asked.

“Eh, nothin’ important,” Firebird replied. “It was all girly stuff.”

_That’s a lie. You’re not even close to being honest._

Adrien chuckled. “I don’t see you as the type to talk about ‘girly stuff’, but I won’t pry into your affairs,” he replied. “Are you just going to stay in costume all afternoon?”

Firebird rolled her eyes. “Of course not. Flame out.”

Vanessa caught Iraa as the kwami tumbled out of her necklace. She reached into the pocket of her pajama pants and pulled out a piece of jerky. The kwami swallowed it in one bite.

Vanessa grinned and put her hands on her hips as Iraa soared up beside her. “So, what are we going to do today?”

~-~-~-

The afternoon had actually been quite fun. Adrien and Vanessa had hung out, sharing stories, jokes, and secrets. Adrien learned that Vanessa, in addition to her sculpting skills, was secretly a talented juggler. She'd showed her prowess by juggling some pencils, while Adrien was on the floor laughing.

The only bad part of the afternoon was when Adrien had to leave for dinner. He'd sat at his lonely dining room table, picking through a measly serving of food. He finished it quickly, then rushed back to his room as fast as he could without arousing suspicion.

Vanessa was gone when he got back to his room. He'd spent a few moments being worried until he saw that she'd written him a letter. It said that she was going to get some food for herself, and she'd be back soon.

Sure enough, two minutes later, Firebird swung in through the window with bags of food. She had a grin on her face. "I got enough for you, too," she announced. "I don't think your dad feeds you enough."

The takeout barbecue ribs that Adrien had with Vanessa was far better than the fancy meal that he'd eaten alone. They were both a mess, with sauce all over their faces, but the food had been so good that Adrien couldn't complain.

The pair had a few more hours of hanging out before they both decided to go to bed. Vanessa took the couch, and Adrien made sure that she had enough blankets and pillows. As soon as Vanessa had settled down, Adrien went to his bed and climbed into it. He pulled his sheets around himself and shifted so he was laying on his side.

Before he could close his eyes, he heard movement outside of his door. He quietly crept across the room, putting his ear against the door.

Through the wood of the door, he could hear two voices talking. One was male, one was female. Adrien couldn’t quite distinguish what they were saying.

After a few moments, the voices stopped and footsteps began moving towards him. He quickly locked the door before quietly sprinting across the room and diving into his bed.

Everything was silent for a few moments. Adrien felt himself relax.

Suddenly, the doorknob began to rattle. Adrien hurriedly pulled his sheets over himself and tried to look asleep. If whoever was trying to get in managed to succeed, they might only check his bed and not the couch.

The rattling lasted for a few seconds before stopping.

As soon as it stopped, Adrien was out of bed and had his ear back on the door. He could hear both voices and footsteps this time, but they were receding.

“I told him that he’s not supposed to lock his door!” the male voice growled. “I specifically told Adrien that the lock on his door is only for emergencies.”

“We won’t be able to take it tonight,” the female voice replied. “But now that we-”

The sentence was cut off as both the voices and the footsteps faded into silence.

Adrien felt his stomach sink. Now that he had heard them better, he realized that those voices sounded too familiar for his liking.

Adrien sunk into a kneel, still facing the door. He didn’t know what had just happened and what he had just prevented, but he felt like that it wouldn’t have been good..

He slowly walked over to the couch. Vanessa was fast asleep, looking peaceful. She’d snuggled deep into the blankets, with only her face visible.

Adrien crawled back into his bed and settled into the blankets, though he had a sinking feeling that he wouldn’t be able to sleep tonight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have an important announcement! I'm starting a collection where I write more stories about Marinette, Adrien, Vanessa, and all the different worlds I can cook up! Once I've finished this story, (don't worry, it'll be a while), I'm going to start posting shorter AUs featuring our favorite akuma-fighting trio! I have a few that I've started already, but I'll start releasing them once this story is done because they do contain spoilers. Thank you so much for all of your support!


	12. Honesty pt. 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Revelations are had. People become roommates. Lila is a bitch. Firebird is a good friend. And we are not done yet!

Vanessa woke up on the floor. Her body was aching, as if she’d just spent several hours sleeping on the floor.

Her half-awake mind realized that she’d fallen onto the floor overnight and had slept there.

“Ffffffuck,” Vanessa groaned as she slowly staggered to her feet. “You have got to be kidding me.”

She stretched out all of her sore muscles, easing the sheer pain her body was in.

When she was done, she glanced over at Adrien. He was sleeping, though he looked like he’d just crashed after pulling an all-nighter. His blonde hair was a mess, and there was the faintest sign of shadow under his eyes. He had curled up into a fetal position and all of his blankets were bunched up at the foot of his bed.

Vanessa stared at him for a moment before walking back to the couch. She quickly bundled up all of the blankets and pillows before dumping the lot into Adrien’s closet. She swept some of Adrien’s clothing and Ladybug memorabilia over the bundle.

Once she was satisfied that it was hidden, she stepped back from the closet, dusting her hands off. The small smile on her face betrayed the pride in her subterfuge.

Vanessa turned back to Adrien. He was still curled up, though he was shivering slightly. She grimaced and quietly shuffled over towards him. Now that she was closer, Vanessa could see goosebumps forming on his skin.

Vanessa reached to the foot of his bed and grabbed his sheets. In a swift, fluid motion, she yanked the blankets over Adrien.

Almost immediately, he stopped shivering, and his face looked a little more content.

“You’re a good kid, just like him.”

Vanessa jumped. She slowly turned to see Plagg hovering in the air behind her.

_ What should I say? _

“I mean it,” Plagg continued. “I may not know why you loathe yourself so much, but I know that Iraa chose wisely when she found you.”

Vanessa felt tears prickle in the corner of her eyes. She brought her hands to her mouth, steepling them together over her lips. She didn’t trust herself to say anything.

Plagg grinned, showing off his pointy teeth. “I’m glad that you came here, kid,” he whispered. “There are very few people in Adrien’s life who care about him. Even fewer who can actually help.”

The kwami soared past Vanessa and settled back down on Adrien’s pillow. “If anyone asks, you and I never had this conversation,” Plagg grumbled. “Now, you should probably make yourself scarce. His father’s assistant will show up any minute now.”

Vanessa silently nodded and scrambled away from Adrien’s bed. She tripped over her own feet, awkwardly lurched into the couch, and ended up sprawled on the floor. She bit her tongue to suppress a groan.

At that moment, she heard the sound of a doorknob twisting. Vanessa leaped to her feet and snatched up Iraa. With a speed she didn’t expect, she bolted into Adrien’s bathroom and shut the door behind her. As soon as she was safe inside, she heard the bedroom door open.

“Adrien? Adrien!”

“Whuh… what?” Adrien groggily mumbled.

“You have school today,” a female voice murmured. “Get ready. You have breakfast in ten minutes.”

There was a moment of silence, then the sound of the door shutting. Vanessa let out a breath she didn’t know that she’d been holding.

_ That was close. _

Since it was a school day, Vanessa figured that she should probably go to her apartment and get herself ready for school. She’d already missed a few days. “Iraa, flame on.”

As soon as Firebird finished transforming, she marched towards the bathroom window and began to wrench it open. The mechanism seemed to be stuck. It was stuck so badly that she had a hard time opening it, even with her super-strength.

She whirled around when she heard the bathroom door open. Luckily, it was just Adrien, with his terrible bed-head and his green eyes blinking in confusion. In all honesty, he looked like crap.

“Oh!” Adrien murmured. “You’re still here… Nnnnnessa.”

Firebird nearly jumped out of her skin. The nickname, Nessa. The word was her personal secret, a nickname that she had shared with only Iraa. She’d always held that nickname close to her chest. Only Iraa, and one other person had known that nickname.

But Adrien didn’t know why the nickname was so significant to her. He didn’t know why she was surprised to hear the word ‘Nessa’ from him.  _ He _ had just woken up two minutes ago.

Firebird quickly shook the thoughts out of her mind and focused back on Adrien. “Yeah,” she whispered. “I’m about to leave. I plan on showing up to school today, so I have to get ready.”

Adrien sleepily nodded. “M’kay,” he murmured. “I’m aboutta take a shower, so…”

“Well, I don’t want to see that,” Firebird tersely replied. “I would leave, but the window’s stuck.”

Adrien blinked once and shoved past her to the window. One second of fiddling later, and the window was wide open. Firebird gaped. “How did you do that?”

“Iss my window,” Adrien murmured. “I can opennit in mah sleep.”

“I can tell,” Firebird replied as she climbed through the window. “Thanks.”

“No problum.” Adrien mumbled.

As soon as she was through the window, Firebird let herself drop to the ground. She ended up in a garden.

It was a lovely garden, with lush green grass and bushes with white flowers. In an alcove on the wall was a statue of a pretty woman sitting on a bench with her eyes closed. She had a braid that was draped over one shoulder and she was holding some flowers in her hands.

More than anything, the woman looked familiar. Very familiar.

And then it hit her.

On Adrien’s desktop, there was a picture of him and a woman who looked so much like him. She’d heard before how Adrien’s mother disappeared.

This statue was of his mother.

All of the sudden, Firebird felt like she was intruding on a scene that wasn’t hers. Even with no one around, she knew that she didn’t belong here. A quick throw of her boomerang later, she had soared out of the garden, and was heading back to her apartment.

~-~-~-

Marinette walked towards her school. Her stomach felt like it was in her toes, it had sunk so low. Each step she took felt agonizingly slow. She had a pencil in her right hand, and she was clutching it in an iron grip.

Hawkmoth hadn’t done anything at all last night. He was quiet. Too quiet. Marinette didn’t like waiting for Hawkmoth’s next move. Knowing Hawkmoth, the outcome would be destructive.

When Marinette arrived at school, she was surprised to see that Vanessa was already there.

She was sitting on a bench, her glasses right on the end of her nose, which was stuck inside a rather thick-looking book. It was bound in a leather cover that had many nicks and scrapes.

Marinette sat down next to Vanessa. After a moment of reading, Vanessa stuck a red strip of ribbon into the book and snapped it shut. She pushed her glasses back onto her face and turned towards Marinette.

“Mornin’.” she murmured sleepily.

“Good morning,” Marinette replied. “How’s Adrien doing?”

Vanessa made a little humming sound. “Pretty good, all things considered,” she murmured. “His old man was as much of a pain as ever. You know, the usual isolation crap.”

“How are you doing?”

The question remained in the air, unanswered. Vanessa stared blankly at her closed book.

Marinette frowned. “Vanessa…”

“Oh! Sorry, I zoned out there!” Vanessa replied, smiling quickly. “I’m fine!”

Somehow, Marinette didn’t buy it. Vanessa’s tone was normal enough, but this wasn’t the first time Marinette had been tricked. 

There were many instances when, as both herself and Firebird, Vanessa had said that she was fine. But, possibly the whole time, she was planning on faking her death. The thought of Vanessa just leaving, while making everyone think that she was dead, stuck in Marinette’s mind like a thorn.

She couldn’t let it go.

Marinette cleared her throat. “Vanessa, about what you said yesterday…”

“Don’t worry,” Vanessa quietly replied, staring right into Marinette’s eyes. “I’m not leaving you guys. You need help, and I would never forgive myself if I abandoned you.”

Vanessa took one of Marinette’s hands and squeezed it. “The only reason I took such drastic measures back in New York was that I couldn’t stand to be there anymore,” Vanessa whispered. “After it happened once, it wouldn’t hurt that much to do it again. But Paris is far better than New York ever was. I’m staying here. For you, for Adrien, for Chlo- um, all my friends.”

After finishing her speech, Vanessa coughed as her cheeks reddened slightly.

While Marinette was tempted to grill Vanessa about her not-so-subtle crush on Chloe, she decided against it. They were all going through too much to worry about their love lives for the moment.

Speaking of love lives, Marinette saw Adrien walk into the courtyard out of the corner of her eye.

He was walking slowly and casually, his eyes darting around. As soon as he made eye contact with Marinette, he immediately scampered across the courtyard and stopped in front of her. 

“Hey.” he breathed.

Marinette’s eyes widened. Somehow, right in this moment, he was  _ dazzling _ . The way his blonde hair flopped over his forehead, the slight flush in his cheeks, the glimmer of sunlight in his emerald green eyes…

_ Pull yourself together, Marinette! _

She blinked. In that moment, everything snapped back to normal. She pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes. Adrien smirked at her before sitting down next to Vanessa.

Marinette turned away from him, lightly scratching at her temple.

_ He knows exactly what he’s doing. Cheeky cat! _

Marinette could probably turn his game back on him, give him a taste of his own medicine, make  _ him  _ flustered.

As much as she wanted to, she couldn’t. There was too much hanging over their heads at the moment to do this.

(Once the worst of Hawkmoth’s attacks had run their course, she would definitely play Adrien’s game though. She wasn’t going to leave her poor kitty hanging after everything that had happened between them.)

Marinette was shaken out of her thoughts by a loud ringing sound. The people massing in the courtyard began to move into the school. Marinette rose from the bench and made her own way into the building. 

~-~-~-

Lila calmly sat in her seat. Hawkmoth’s plan had played out perfectly. She only had to do one more thing, and she would finally get her lovely revenge.

Class was almost over. People were already starting to shift in their seats and pack up their things. Lila wickedly smiled.  _ Perfect. _

She slowly pulled the burner phone that Hawkmoth had given her out of her pocket and scrolled through the few photos. The most recent ones featured clear images of the faces under the masks of Ladybug and Chat Noir. She didn’t have a picture of Firebird, because she’d been irritatingly late, but that feathered fool wasn’t important.

It made Lila sick to her stomach to think that Marinette and Ladybug were the same person. Of course those two self-righteous idiots were one and the same. The fact that Adrien was Chat Noir was unexpected, but that did explain why Lila could never influence him.

Lies were powerful, but the properly used truth could be even more potent. And the truth she was about to reveal to everyone would make Marinette wish that Lila only ever told lies.

She opened a backup account for her favorite social media app and inserted her pictures of the unmasked heroes in a draft. She typed out a quick message to accompany the pictures. " _ Look who Paris' favorite heroes are under their masks! :O _ "

Her finger hovered over the post button.

She glanced up the screen at the pictures of her two worst enemies.  _ How's this for being more honest? _

Her finger slammed down on the button.

Lila grinned and shut her phone off. Hawkmoth was going to be so pleased.

Her work done, Lila packed her things away into her bag and rose from her seat. She quickly left the classroom. The halls were empty as Lila ran through them. For that, she was glad. She really wanted to see what everyone’s reactions to her post would be.

Soon enough, Lila reached the school’s entrance. All of her classmates were in the courtyard, split up into their tiny little friendship groups. However, Lila focused on the two main subjects of her ire: Marinette and Adrien.

The pair was currently chatting with Alya, Nino, Chloe, and Vanessa. Seeing all of those people together in a group almost made Lila’s face turn into a scowl. She loathed them all so much.

But then, the sound of phones buzzing began to fill the courtyard. Like clockwork, people began taking out their phones, including the group that had congregated around Marinette and Adrien.

The effect was instantaneous.

Alya screamed as she stared at her phone. “Marinette! You better have a good explanation for this!”

She waved her phone in Marinette and Adrien’s faces. Their eyes widened as they took in the pictures. Without saying a word, they turned and ran away from the school.

Around the courtyard, other students were having similar reactions. Some screamed like Alya did. Others dropped their phones from the shock. One unlucky boy even fainted.

Lila covered her mouth to suppress her giggles. “It worked,” she whispered. “It worked! It worked!”

She quickly composed herself. “Alright, I did what you asked,” she murmured. “You can go now.”

A small black butterfly flew out of the strap of her bag.

Lila watched as it fluttered away. As soon as it was gone, she casually strolled out of the school. As fun as it was to watch the chaos, she wanted to go home. Whatever was about to unfold next, she was going to wait it out safe inside.

~-~-~-

So many things had just spiraled out of her control, and she was lost. Marinette could only function on instincts at this point. And right now, her instincts were telling her to run as fast as possible.

The small remainder of rational thought that she had agreed with this. She didn’t want to be in the same house as her family if she was just going to put them in danger.

Adrien was following her, as always. She was glad. She didn’t want to lose him in the midst of the rising wave of issues.

They stopped at the bakery first. Marinette tore up the steps to her room, slamming the trapdoor open.

“What are we doing here?” Adrien gasped.

“I- We can't stay in our homes,” Marinette replied as tears welled up in her eyes. “Anyone who’s close to us is in danger right now.”

Adrien nodded wordlessly.

Marinette packed a backpack for herself with clothes, the Miracle Box, and a couple other things. She wrote a quick letter to her parents telling them that she had to leave for a while, but that she would try to be as safe as she could. With the tears in her eyes coming in earnest, Marinette grabbed Adrien’s hand and ran away from her beloved home.

Their next destination was Adrien's house. Marinette watched Adrien pack a bag with his most ordinary-looking clothes, a couple of personal hygiene products, as well as some camembert.

Adrien didn't end up leaving a letter for his father. Marinette didn’t blame him.

As the pair hid themselves in an alley close by Adrien’s house, Marinette realized something very important. “Where do we go now?” she whispered.

“I don’t know! I thought that… you had a place in mind.” Adrien replied despondently.

A shadow suddenly fell over the pair. Marinette tensed up. She quickly spun around to see what was casting it.

She sighed in relief when she saw that it was Firebird, perched on the top of the alley wall. Firebird quickly jumped down, landing in front of the pair. “Thank goodness I found you guys!” she hissed. “I was so worried when I saw you two run off!!”

“Everyone knows who we are now.” Marinette numbly replied.

Firebird sighed. “Okay, it’s not ideal,” she admitted. “I actually have no idea what to do next.”

“We need somewhere we can hide out,” Adrien murmured. “Do you know somewhere we can go?”

“You can come to my place,” Firebird replied. “Transform and follow me.”

“Tikki, spots on.”

“Plagg, claws out.”

Ten minutes later, they had all de-transformed on Vanessa’s balcony. Vanessa tugged the balcony door open and gestured to the darkened room within. “Come on!” she whispered.

Marinette went in first, then Adrien. Vanessa went in last, shutting the door behind her. 

“Now, this place isn’t much,” Vanessa murmured, flicking the lights on. “But I think there’ll be enough room for all three of us. There’s a second bedroom, and the couch isn’t half bad…”

Marinette dropped her backpack onto the ground with a thump. Adrien followed suit a moment later. Vanessa was still muttering to herself about the living arrangements.

The gravity of the situation was just starting to hit Marinette. It wasn’t just Hawkmoth who knew their identities now. It was everyone. Now, she and Adrien couldn’t show their faces in public without putting themselves at risk.

They were now fugitives in their own city.

“Do you guys want to get settled in now?”

Marinette looked up to see Vanessa standing in front of an opened door. Her fingers were drumming on the doorknob, her fingernails meeting the metal with low clicking sounds.

Marinette nodded. “Sure.”

Vanessa turned around, her eyes glittering with some quiet, unnamed emotion. “This bedroom’s yours, Marinette. Adrien, you got the couch.”

Marinette scooped up her backpack and followed Vanessa into the bedroom. It was rather nice, with pale lavender walls, white carpet, windows obscured with light grey curtains, and a small-ish bed with neat white sheets. A couple photographs of landscapes hung on the walls.

Vanessa lamely gestured at the room before leaving.

Marinette sighed and sat down on her bed. She hefted her backpack onto her lap, quickly unzipping it’s various pockets. The contents of the overstuffed backpack spilled across the floor.

Marinette picked through her possessions until she found the Miracle Box. She tucked it under her arm before leaving the bedroom. She would deal with the rest of her belongings later.

Vanessa was alone in the living room, just sitting on the couch, when Marinette returned.

Marinette frowned. “Where’s Adrien?”

“He went to the bathroom.” Vanessa replied nonchalantly.

Marinette set the Miracle Box down on the living room table. Vanessa glanced at it out of the corner of her eyes before rising from the couch.

“I’m gonna go out to the store,” Vanessa murmured. “We’re gonna need more food since we’re all living together.”

Vanessa tugged a pair of black rain boots over her bare feet and walked towards the living room exit. Before she disappeared into the hallway, she paused, casting a glance back at Marinette.

As their eyes met, Marinette could see that emotion again. But this time, Marinette had a name for it.

It was deja vu.

And then Vanessa was gone.

~-~-~-

When Adrien got out of the bathroom, he saw Marinette in the living room. She was leaning against the couch, staring at the Miracle Box. It sat on Vanessa’s living room table, as innocent as a box could be. 

Marinette was staring at the box intently, as if the force of her eyes could somehow change it.

Adrien sat down on the opposite end of the couch from her. "Hey, Marinette." he murmured.

Marinette slowly turned her head towards him. Her eyes stared blankly at him. "What?" she whispered.

He scooted over so that he was sitting next to her. He folded his hands, meshing his fingers together. "I was thinking, in light of recent events, that we should return all of the Miraculous that you’ve handed out back to the other heroes." he murmured.

Marinette blinked. He took her silence as an invitation to continue. "We don’t have to worry about protecting their identities anymore, considering that ours have already been revealed. I know that you were worried about that after Miracle Queen."

Adrien found himself clutching Marinette’s hand tightly. "Please, m’lady,” he whispered, the nickname accidentally slipping out. “The revelation of our identities has made us vulnerable. We need more help."

He was surprised to see Marinette nod. "You’re right," she murmured in a small voice. "We do need more help."

Adrien smiled as a glint appeared in her eyes, the glint that only showed up when she had a plan. She straightened up, glancing over at the Miracle Box. "We can’t reintroduce all of the heroes at once, because it will make us seem like we are desperate, which will cause the morale of Parisians to fall further. Right now…"

She pushed herself off of the couch and stepped up to the box, opening the lid. "Let’s start with our old favorites. Rena Rouge, Carapace, and Queen Bee."

She reached into the box and pulled out the Miraculous of the Fox, Turtle, and Bee. She gently placed the Bee Miraculous into Adrien’s hands. "You take care of Chloe," Marinette murmured. "And I’ll deal with Nino."

Adrien blinked. "Who will talk to Alya, then?"

Marinette sighed. "Vanessa."

Adrien tipped his head to the side. “Are you sure that you want to do that?” he asked. “Alya’s not going to be happy.”

Marinette slid the Turtle Miraculous into her pocket. “If I visit Alya now, she’s going to get on my case for being Ladybug.” she explained. “Since she doesn’t know that Vanessa, a person she is close to, is Firebird, she’s less likely to freak out and more likely to actually listen.”

Adrien nodded. "What should I say to Chloe?"

"Just explain the situation as best as you can," Marinette replied. "I trust you."

~-~-~-

Alya had been blowing up Marinette’s phone for the past few hours, but had gotten no response. She didn’t even have any ‘read’ notifications.

With a sigh, Alya flopped onto her bed, her phone slipping out of her hand and toppling to the carpet. As a friend, she was worried about Marinette and Adrien. As a citizen of Paris, she was worried about the fact that Ladybug’s and Chat Noir’s identities were leaked. As a reporter, she was curious about what Firebird was doing, if she’d found them, or if she even knew what was going on.

Alya straightened up when she heard a knock from her balcony. She immediately leaped out of bed, scrambled across her room, and slammed open her balcony door.

Instead of Ladybug, Alya was surprised to see Firebird lounging on her balcony. The heroine glanced at Alya out of the corner of her green eyes before jumping to her feet.

“Oh! Firebird!” Alya exclaimed. “What are you doing here?”

Firebird grimaced. “I assume you’re aware of the… uh… incident that happened earlier today?”

Alya nodded.

Firebird coughed. “Uh, well. Because of what happened, boss lady is calling in reinforcements. And you…” she murmured, pulling out a small Miraculous box. “Are on the list.”

Alya glanced down at her feet, then back at Firebird. “Boss lady?”

Firebird groaned. “Ladybug!” she exclaimed. “She’s the boss, she’s a lady. Hence, boss lady! Why does no one get that?”

Alya flinched. “Okay, geez. Chill out.”

Firebird chuckled. “It’s fine.”

They were both silent for a moment. Alya broke it by speaking again. “So, if Ladybug needs my help so badly, why isn’t she here?”

Firebird ruefully smiled. “Oh, Alya. We all saw the same post. Do you really think that you wouldn’t grill your best friend for lying to you about being Ladybug all this time?” 

She set the Miraculous box on the balcony floor. “I mean, I know exactly what you’re going through. I had a best friend who was hiding a secret identity too. I was… devastated when I found out.”

Alya slowly picked up the Miraculous box and clasped it in her hands. “Why? I mean, when I found out that Marinette was Ladybug, I was certainly shocked, but I wasn’t devastated.”

Firebird’s face fell. “Because she wasn’t a hero.”

Alya’s jaw dropped. “Are you saying that your best friend was-”

“Shh!” Firebird hissed.

Alya’s eyes sank to her feet. “Sorry.”

“It’s fine,” Firebird replied. “If we’re going to be teammates, we should know things about each other.”

She rested her palms on the balcony railing and hoisted herself up onto it. “Although, I would like you to keep this to yourself,” she murmured. “We have enough private info about the heroes going around.”

Alya nodded. “I can do that.”

Firebird grinned and held out her hand. “Then it’s an honor to work with you.”

Alya slowly reached out and shook Firebird’s hand.

“Anyways,” Firebird murmured. “We have to go over a few ground rules.”

Alya nodded before Firebird continued speaking. “You’re still relatively inexperienced, so you need time to train. That’s why I’m giving it to you to keep,” Firebird explained. “If you hear about an akuma, don’t go after it unless we call you. We don’t want to drag you into battles that you’re not ready for.”

Alya nodded. "Thanks, Firebird."

“Oh, also, all the heroes are going to have a meeting in a few days,” Firebird murmured as she threw her boomerang away. “I’ll swing by to get you. Make sure you’re in costume. Night!”

“Wait, before you go!” Alya called. “Could you, um, stay for a little while?”

Firebird raised an eyebrow, but her boomerang flew back into her hand. “What is it?” she asked.

Alya fidgeted. “Do you want to maybe have a training session together soon? I’d like to get to know you a little bit.”

Firebird smiled crookedly. “I’m sure it could be arranged. Just not tonight, though. I’m tired.”

Alya waved as Firebird swung away. As soon as the heroine was gone, Alya flipped open the Miraculous box and pulled out the familiar foxtail necklace. She swiftly clipped it around her neck.

Trikk appeared in a flash of orange light. He quickly yawned, showing off sharp fangs, before he regarded Alya.

“Oh,” he murmured. “I wasn’t expecting to see you again, kit.”

Alya smiled. “Neither was I!”

Trixx twirled through the air. “Anyways, I’ve been looking to stretch my legs. It’s been far too long,” he whispered, grinning. “Do you want to get some training in tonight?”

"Of course." Alya replied. "Trixx, let’s pounce!"

Rena Rouge bounded off into the night, armed only with her flute and her building excitement.


End file.
